ABC News reporter Matt Gutman described the texts sent from suspected assassin Tyler Robinson to his trans-identifying boyfriend — in which he appears to confess to murdering conservative commentator Charlie Kirk — as &#8220;very touching.&#8221;
Gutman was reporting on the text exchange, which was released on Tuesday by authorities, when he commented on the fact that despite confessing to murdering someone in front of hundreds of college students — and putting their lives in danger as well — Robinson seemed to really care about his partner.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/mattgutmanABC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mattgutmanABC</a> says he found the messages between Charlie Kirk&#8217;s killer and his trans boyfriend &#8220;very touching, in a way, that I think many of us didn’t expect.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/8H4E1dFD3K">pic.twitter.com/8H4E1dFD3K</a>
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/1968038545387589896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Gutman began by saying that he wasn&#8217;t sure &#8220;if we have seen an alleged murder with such specific text messages about the alleged murder weapon — where it was hidden, how it was placed, what was on it — but also it was very touching, in a way, that I think many of us didn’t expect — a very intimate portrait into this relationship between the suspect’s roommate and the suspect himself, with him repeatedly calling his roommate, who is transitioning, calling him &#8216;my love.&#8217; And &#8216;I want to protect you, my love.'&#8221;
&#8220;So, it was this duality of someone who the attorney said not only jeopardized the life of Charlie Kirk and the crowd, but was doing it in front of children, which is one of the aggravating circumstances of this case,&#8221; Gutman continued. &#8220;And then, on the other hand, he was, you know, speaking so lovingly about his partner. So a very interesting and, as Pierre said, riveting press conference.&#8221;
Gutman continued in the same vein a short time later, adding, &#8220;It’s heartbreaking on so many levels, Kyra. Obviously, Charlie Kirk was murdered brutally in front of a crowd of thousands &#8230;[O]n the other hand, there is this duality of a very a portrait of a very human person, a very human experience from this entire family &#8230; the kid who had got a 34 out of 36 on the ACT, who had a 4.0.&#8221;
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ABC’s Matt Gutman doubled down, ten minutes later after this on ABC News Live: “It’s heartbreaking on so many levels, Kyra. Obviously, Charlie Kirk was murdered brutally in front of a crowd of thousands&#8230;[O]n the other hand, there is this duality of a very a portrait of a very… <a href="https://t.co/0ykDhsg1Ko">pic.twitter.com/0ykDhsg1Ko</a>
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) <a href="https://twitter.com/CurtisHouck/status/1968045665541365867?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a press conference in which we’ve read text messages that are A, so fulsome, so robust, so apparently, allegedly self-incriminating and yet, on the other hand, so touching — right — with the suspect reaching out to his roommate, who was allegedly his boyfriend, who we understand, you know, identified as male at birth, now identifies as female,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And the terminology he used, he was trying to protect him. He kept calling him ‘my love.’ ‘My reason for doing this is to protect you,’ you know, but also asking him to delete the messages and not speak to law enforcement. So there’s this, this heartbreaking duality that we’re seeing very tragically playing out here.&#8221;

ABC NEWS: ELECTION NIGHT 2024

ABC Reporter Describes Suspect’s Texts Confessing To Charlie Kirk Assassination As ‘Very Touching’

ABC Reporter Describes Suspect's Texts Confessing To Charlie Kirk Assassination As 'Very Touching'

ABC News

assassination

Charlie Kirk

Media

Politics

Violent Crime

President Donald Trump announced on Friday morning that the National Guard will be deployed to crime-ridden Memphis, a Democrat-run city in deep-red Tennessee.
&#8220;We&#8217;re going to Memphis. I&#8217;m just announcing that now,&#8221; Trump told &#8220;Fox &amp; Friends&#8221; during an interview in the studio. &#8220;National Guard and anybody else we need, and by the way, we&#8217;re bringing the military too if we need it.&#8221;
Trump has recently suggested that multiple cities — such as Chicago, Baltimore, and New Orleans — could be next on his list for a federal intervention to combat violent crime. His decision to deploy troops to Memphis means that the president will be working with a friendly state government. Tennessee Republican Governor Bill Lee <a href="https://www.wsmv.com/2025/09/10/gov-lee-activates-new-thp-surge-combat-crime-memphis-alongside-fbis-operation-viper/">said</a> on Wednesday that he is collaborating with the Trump administration on a plan to address crime in Memphis.
&#8220;For months, I have been in constant communication with the Trump Administration to develop a strategic plan to combat crime in Memphis, leveraging the full extent of both federal and state resources,&#8221; Lee said. &#8220;This multi-phased approach includes Operation Viper — an ongoing FBI mission with a dedicated task force of federal, state, and local law enforcement that has already made hundreds of arrests targeting the most violent offenders. Additionally, I have activated a new Tennessee Highway Patrol surge to support the Memphis Police Department that will include 50 more troopers, bringing our THP presence in Shelby County to record levels.&#8221;
Recently released FBI data on violent crime rates in 2024 showed that Memphis is the most violent city in the United States, NBC&#8217;s Nashville affiliate, WSMV 4, <a href="https://www.wsmv.com/2025/09/05/this-tennessee-city-has-highest-violent-crime-rate-country-see-where-your-home-ranks/">reported</a> last week. Last year, Memphis saw 2,501 instances of violent crime for every 100,000 people. The violent crime rate in Memphis was far higher than that of other most violent cities in America. The next highest on the list was Oakland, California, with 1,925 violent crimes reported for every 100,000 people, and Detroit was No. 3 with 1,781 violent crimes per 100,000 people.
Trump has praised the work of the National Guard and federal law enforcement agents in Washington, D.C., after he sent them into the nation&#8217;s capital and directed the Metropolitan Police Department to crack down on violent crime. The president said he wants to address violent crime in cities across the United States.
&#8220;Almost every city that&#8217;s in trouble is run by Democrats,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1966479556388200614">told</a> &#8220;Fox &amp; Friends&#8221; on Friday morning. &#8220;Cashless bail is a disaster.&#8221;
Trump&#8217;s recent moves to deploy the National Guard to D.C. and Los Angeles have been blasted by Democrats, who claim that the president&#8217;s efforts to address violent crime in the U.S. are a power grab. Earlier this month, a federal judge ruled that Trump broke the law when he deployed the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles during violent anti-ICE protests in June.

Donald Trump

Trump Announces Next ‘Deeply Troubled’ American City National Guard Will Clean Up

Crime

Executive

Memphis

National Guard

Tennessee

Trump Administration

Governor Spencer Cox (R-UT) vowed to seek the death penalty in the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk — and called on members of the public to aid in the manhunt that has already gone on for more than 24 hours.
The call came during a press conference that took place late Thursday evening — a press conference that was initially scheduled for earlier in the day, but was delayed at the last minute due to &#8220;rapid developments&#8221; in the case. &#8220;Due to the rapid developments in our investigation, we will suspend this,&#8221; the Utah Department of Public Safety announced via email.
The press conference began about twenty minutes later than the scheduled start time of 7:30 p.m. local time, and officials shared video of the suspect as he ran from his perch and ultimately climbed over the edge of the roof of the building, hanging from the side before jumping to the ground.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨BREAKING: Officials release new footage of Charlie Kirk&#8217;s assassin during tonight&#8217;s press conference: <a href="https://t.co/ugqmG9Vuao">pic.twitter.com/ugqmG9Vuao</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1966320915651666263?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
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They called on members of the public to look at identifiable items of clothing on the suspect to hopefully assist officials as they try to find the individual responsible for Kirk&#8217;s murder. They also announced that they had already interviewed more than 200 people and had received thousands of tips from the public, more than they had seen in any case since the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 BREAKING: 7,000 LEADS have been received by the FBI to help find the kiIIer of Charlie Kirk
FBI and Utah DPS have already conducted over **200** interviews
ALL resources are being utilized, and NO expense is being spared.
CHARLIE&#8217;S KlLLER WILL BE FOUND! <a href="https://t.co/N38N7Lc6ei">pic.twitter.com/N38N7Lc6ei</a>
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) <a href="https://twitter.com/nicksortor/status/1966321375158956505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
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DPS asked for digital tips and videos from anyone who might have footage from the Wednesday event, and vowed to capture the person responsible. Governor Spencer Cox (R-UT) also promised that the state planned to seek the death penalty once the suspect was apprehended and tried.
Investigators began the manhunt within moments of the fatal shooting that took place on Wednesday during a campus event at Utah Valley University, and photos of a &#8220;person of interest&#8221; in the case were released to the public on Thursday afternoon. The photos showed a male figure wearing an American flag t-shirt, sunglasses, and a hat — and authorities said they believed he&#8217;d &#8220;blended in well with a college institution&#8221; and was likely around the same age as some of those present for Kirk&#8217;s event.
The FBI offered a reward of $100,000 to anyone who could provide information that led to the shooter&#8217;s arrest.
&#8220;The shooting is believed to be a targeted attack. The shooter is believed to have fired from the roof of a building down to the location of the public event in the student courtyard,&#8221; the Utah Department of Public Safety said in a statement prior to the press conference. &#8220;Any additional clarifications cannot be provided to protect the integrity of our investigation.&#8221;

FILES-US-POLITICS-SHOOTING-KIRK

Governor Vows To Seek Death Penalty In Kirk Assassination, Calls On Public To Aid In Manhunt

FBI Seeks Help Following Charlie Kirk's Assassination

Political Violence

The hosts of ABC&#8217;s &#8220;The View&#8221; on Wednesday discussed the horrific stabbing that took place on a light-rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina, in late August, and quickly concluded that President Donald Trump was actually to blame for it.
Cohost Whoopi Goldberg kicked off the discussion by noting the seriousness of the situation. &#8220;Look, a young woman is dead,&#8221; she said before criticizing those who would bring politics into the conversation. &#8220;A man who should have been behind bars was loose and out &#8230; he was a schizophrenic man. His mother begged them to take him and put him away. So stop politicizing this! This is not political! This has to do with how we take care of our sick Americans when they are in need.&#8221;
WATCH:
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Joy Behar blames Trump and Republicans for Iryna Zaruska&#8217;s murder: 
&#8220;But that&#8217;s why it is political. That&#8217;s why it is exactly why it is a political situation because in the first 40 days of the Trump administration, this one, they terminated 128 grants from the National Institute… <a href="https://t.co/mhlkPER2QD">pic.twitter.com/mhlkPER2QD</a>
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickFondacaro/status/1965800590711181647?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Cohost Joy Behar responded by immediately politicizing the tragedy, claiming, &#8220;That&#8217;s why it is exactly why it is a political situation because in the first 40 days of the Trump administration, this one, they terminated 128 grants from the National Institute of Mental Health. In May they cut $1 billion in federal grants for mental health services.&#8221;
Cohost Alyssa Farah Griffin, billed as the lone Republican on the panel despite a 2024 vote for Kamala Harris, tried to dial back the politics slightly. &#8220;I don&#8217;t think most Americans hear a tragedy and see that video footage and think is this the Democrat or Republicans fault? They think what went wrong and what could the solution be?&#8221;
She then identified bail reform as a problem, but failed to connect it to the Democratic policies that it so often accompanies.
WATCH:
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Sara Haines calls for &#8220;something between prison and walking free that keeps everyone safe.&#8221; 
Adding: &#8220;If you refuse medical treatment and are this sort of risk you should never be out and about when the red flags were raised.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/2wEAyhEu0g">pic.twitter.com/2wEAyhEu0g</a>
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickFondacaro/status/1965802000269881484?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Sara Haines made the case for a sort of halfway house, but was not clear on how to make sure the people who should be kept off the streets could be made to go there.
Saying that what was truly needed was &#8220;something between prison and walking free that keeps everyone safe,&#8221; she added, &#8220;If you refuse medical treatment and are this sort of risk you should never be out and about when the red flags were raised.&#8221;
&#8220;We need to take care of people that are mentally ill,&#8221; Sunny Hostin declared. &#8220;It is a pandemic at this point. It is a pandemic at this point.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Whoopi demands &#8220;stop trying to place blood on people&#8217;s hands&#8221; by pointing out the failing of Democratic crime politics. 
She chides Republicans for pointing fingers at Democrats because the right is really to blame: 
&#8220;Every time you blame somebody for this it makes people say,… <a href="https://t.co/hpC9l6Ubc7">pic.twitter.com/hpC9l6Ubc7</a>
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickFondacaro/status/1965804342713155880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Goldberg wrapped up the conversation by once again scolding Republicans for calling out the Democratic policies that have encouraged crime in nearly every major city nationwide. Instead, she blamed Republicans: &#8220;Every time you blame somebody for this it makes people say, &#8216;well, you let it happen because you made these cuts &#8230; you got to be a help and not a hindrance!'&#8221;
The murder took place on August 22, when 14-time repeat offender Decarlos Johnson Jr. — who was reportedly aboard the train without a ticket — stood up and stabbed 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee who had been sitting quietly in front of him and looking at her phone. While she bled out in her seat, Johnson stood up and walked to the door, calmly removing his sweatshirt as her blood dripped onto the floor.
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, after giving <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/charlotte-mayor-uses-brutal-train-murder-to-lecture-about-mental-health-resources" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lip service</a> to the victim and her family, went on a lengthy rant about the state of mental health care and resources in North Carolina. She failed to mention that Johnson had already seen 14 court cases in Mecklenburg County alone and had been released on his own recognizance at his last court appearance. She also did not mention that the Charlotte District Attorney&#8217;s Office was under-resourced, with only 85 active prosecutors and a backlog of three hundred homicide cases.

WHOOPI GOLDBERG, SARA HAINES, JOY BEHAR, SUNNY HOSTIN, ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN

‘The View’ Tries To Pin Horrific Train Murder On President Trump

'The View' Hosts Know Exactly Who's To Blame For Horrific Train Murder: TRUMP!

Murder

The View

Ten North Carolina Republican Reps., led by Rep. Tim Moore (R-NC), called on Tuesday for the removal of Magistrate Judge Teresa Stokes, who released 14-time offender Decarlos Johnson Jr. before he murdered Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska.
Moore shared a letter, signed by nine of his colleagues, in which he called on Chief Judge Roy Wiggins to begin “formal removal proceedings” against Stokes, saying that her decision to release Johnson — based solely on his written promise to return for his next court date — had been, at best, “reckless.”
“Despite his history of violent and unstable behavior, Magistrate Stokes released Brown without requiring bond or imposing any meaningful conditions to safeguard the public,” the letter read.
“This reckless decision had devastating consequences,” the letter continued, referencing Zarutska’s murder. “Ms. Zarutska’s murder was not only a profound personal tragedy but also a direct result of a failure of judicial responsibility. Magistrate Stokes displayed a willful failure to perform the duties of her office and engaged in conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice.”
Moore added a brief caption to the letter, which he posted to X: “Today, I led a letter calling for the removal of Magistrate Judge Teresa Stokes, who released a 14-time offender who went on to murder Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte. This tragedy was preventable. There must be accountability. North Carolinians deserve better.”
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Today, I led a letter calling for the removal of Magistrate Judge Teresa Stokes, who released a 14-time offender who went on to murder Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte.
This tragedy was preventable. There must be accountability. North Carolinians deserve better. <a href="https://t.co/yqEGa873KJ">pic.twitter.com/yqEGa873KJ</a>
— Congressman Tim Moore (@RepTimMooreNC) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepTimMooreNC/status/1965417942763688346?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Johnson, who was also reportedly struggling with mental health issues, sat behind Zarutska on a light-rail train in Charlotte — and while she sat quietly looking at her phone, he stood up and stabbed her at least once in the neck. He then walked calmly to the door, removing his sweatshirt as her blood dripped on the floor. She collapsed in her seat and bled out.

MixCollage-08-Sep-2025-02-31-PM-2293

GOP Reps Move To Oust Judge Who Freed 14-Time Offender Before Brutal Train Murder

Decarlos Brown Jr.

Iryna Zarutska

North Carolina

Yesterday, I covered at <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-savage-crime-the-media-doesnt-want-you-to-know-about">great length</a> the horrific killing of Iryna Zarutska, the 23 year-old Ukrainian refugee who was savagely stabbed to death on a train in Charlotte by DeCarlos Brown, an evil, psychotic criminal barbarian with a lengthy rap sheet. To review: Iryna was on her way home from a shift at the pizza place where she worked. She boarded the light rail car and sat down in front of Brown without a single word exchanged between them. A few minutes into the ride, Brown pulled out a knife, stood up, and began butchering Iryna to death without warning. He then proceeded to walk around the train, leaving a trail of blood behind him. Nobody attempted to intervene at any point.
We now know Brown had been arrested 14 times before this awful crime was committed. The criminal justice system — which has no interest in dispensing justice to criminals — had 14 chances to get this creature off the street. They could have permanently removed him from society after the third arrest, or the fourth, or the seventh, or the tenth, but instead they gave him 14 chances. Even after he committed armed robbery, and assault, and more than a dozen other crimes. The system simply churned him back out, waited for him to get arrested again, and then churned him out again, like some kind of demonic merry-go-round.
This is a huge national story. A young woman lost her life in one of the most heinous ways imaginable. It is everything that George Floyd was purported to be, but never actually was. Floyd’s death didn’t matter that much. He was a violent career criminal who contributed nothing of value to society and then overdosed. Iryna, on the other hand, is an actual innocent victim of brutal interracial violence. Her death is a major scandal. It is the direct result of deep and widespread systemic failures and corruption. She should have the murals and the streets named after her. The judges and city officials who let her killer loose on the street should all get the Derek Chauvin treatment.
Instead, up until yesterday, Iryna’s case, far from being treated like a national scandal, was completely ignored by the national media. None of the major national outlets had said a word about it. CNN and MSNBC hadn’t spent even 30 seconds of airtime reporting on it. The New York Times and the Washington Post hadn&#8217;t dedicated 5 sentences of coverage to it. It was a total media blackout, made all the more infuriating by how utterly, disgustingly predictable it was.
But these days the media don’t lead the conversation, as much as they wish they could. The conversation happens without them, until they are forced to chime in for fear of being reduced to permanent irrelevance. So, over the 24 hours since our episode aired, finally some of the major corporate outlets decided to acknowledge this case, as we had left them no choice. And their spin is exactly what you would expect. To the media, the story isn&#8217;t the murder itself, but the fact that conservatives are talking about the murder. It isn’t that a black criminal butchered an innocent white woman, but that we have noticed it.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1654-the-matt-walsh-show?elementPosition=0&amp;row=2&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel">WATCH: The Matt Walsh Show</a></h3>
There are now headlines like this one from Politico: “Ukrainian refugee killed in North Carolina gets dragged into political messaging war. President Donald Trump and MAGA allies are using the killing of Iryna Zarutska to attack Democrats.” Yes, you see, Democrats are really the victims here. A young woman bled to death in public but the real concern is that Democrats are being attacked by conservative pundits on social media.
Axios had a similar spin. Headline: “Stabbing video fuels MAGA&#8217;s crime message.” They’re right, of course. The stabbing video does fuel our crime message. That’s because our crime message is that crime is bad. And people who commit crimes should go to prison, and not be permitted to stab women to death on the train. In the same way you could say that a video of a house fire fuels our firefighting message, which is that it’s bad for houses to burn down, and we should put out the fires rather than allowing them to engulf entire neighborhoods. Our messages tend to be pretty simple in that way.
But there is one part of this absurd <a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/11/12/trump-media-maga-influencers-election">Axios piece</a> that warrants special mention:
<blockquote>“MAGA influencers are drawing repeated attention to violent attacks to elevate the issue of urban crime — and accuse mainstream media of under-covering shocking cases. <a href="https://www.wbtv.com/2025/09/05/light-rail-stabbing-graphic-video-shows-moments-before-after-woman-killed-charlotte/">Shocking video</a> of the fatal Aug. 22 <a href="https://www.charlottenc.gov/cmpd/News-Information/Newsroom/Homicide-Investigation-in-the-Central-Division-08.22.25">knife attack</a> on 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska on a light-rail car in Charlotte, North Carolina, dominated weekend conversation on Trump-friendly social media… The rising number of surveillance cameras in public spaces, including on Charlotte&#8217;s light rail, has become a big accelerant in these cases. The video is easily shared or leaked, and can instantly pollinate across social media — a visual counterpoint to statistics showing crime decreases.”</blockquote>
That’s correct. As I&#8217;ve covered extensively in the past, crime stats can be manipulated in many ways. You can show “decreases&#8221; in violent crime simply by now reporting the crime, or not charging the criminals. If a city decides to pretend that vast categories of crime are no longer crimes, then “crime,” statistically, will go down. It is not hard to make a city safer on the stat sheet.
Making it safer on the light rail car, however, is a different matter. A city can be safe on a sheet of paper, but not safe on the street, or the sidewalk, or at the gas station, or on public transportation, and so on.
The videos break through the false narratives and the juked crime stats by showing us what’s actually happening. It is one thing to hear that a city has X number of murders. It&#8217;s another thing to see what that means, to see how these murders are happening, and where they&#8217;re happening, and who they&#8217;re happening to, and who they’re being committed by. That’s why all of the security cameras and police body cameras are becoming a major problem for the Left. Don’t be surprised when there’s a major push to get rid of the cameras in the name of “privacy.” As we’ve talked about many times, we&#8217;ve already seen the beginnings of this process with police body cams. The left-wing race hustlers demanded the body cams, and then the body cams proceeded to annihilate all of their narratives about police brutality, and now they’re not so hot on body cams anymore. A similar thing will happen — and is already beginning to happen — with security cameras.
Here’s a story out of Canada:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Hamilton is forcing a home owner to remove his security cameras which are on his house &amp; property. 
Only the Government is allowed to watch you citizen. <a href="https://t.co/3mErbvJXc8">pic.twitter.com/3mErbvJXc8</a>
— Ryan Gerritsen🇨🇦🇳🇱 (@ryangerritsen) <a href="https://twitter.com/ryangerritsen/status/1964322252205224411?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Credit: @ryangerritsen/X
So, he has ten cameras because of a rash of attempted break-ins. The cameras have been used not only to protect himself against burglary and other crimes, but to help solve and prevent other crimes in the neighborhood. Now his local city school marm bureaucratic tyrants are telling him to take the cameras down because of &#8220;privacy&#8221; concerns. But we all know the real concern. It’s that the cameras are not only documenting crime, but documenting who is actually committing most of the crime. And that is the thing we aren&#8217;t supposed to notice. The noticing is the problem.
That’s certainly what CNN is worried about:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
CNNs reaction segment tonight about the horrific murder of Iryna Zarutska tonight was to express sympathy for the suspect and harshly criticized social media pundits.
Van Jones decided to weigh in, criticizing <a href="https://twitter.com/charliekirk11?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@charliekirk11</a> due to alleged racial hate mongering.
He claimed that… <a href="https://t.co/6i2LPK6sTF">pic.twitter.com/6i2LPK6sTF</a>
— Media Lies (@MediasLies) <a href="https://twitter.com/MediasLies/status/1965241746008207612?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Credit: @MediasLies/X
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
A black man murdered a Ukrainian refugee &amp; proclaimed he “got that white girl.”
CNN: “The open racism on sites like X today, it&#8217;s eye-popping.”<a href="https://t.co/l1y57QwlN4">pic.twitter.com/l1y57QwlN4</a>
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) <a href="https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1965158814849835080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Credit: Breaking911/X
So the narrative we hear from the media is as predictable as it is revolting. They are infinitely more outraged at the alleged “racially charged language” of conservative pundits than they are at the actual butchery of an innocent woman by a 14 time career felon on public transportation. They are not angry that this woman was killed. They couldn’t care less. They wouldn&#8217;t even be talking about it, if they had their way. Instead they’re outraged by the “racism” of conservatives who have noticed that the murder happens.
Then we hear from Van Jones that we can’t say for sure whether that black criminal killed Iryna because she was white. So just to review: the media can say for sure that it’s racist to say mean things about a black guy who killed a white woman, but they can&#8217;t say for sure that it’s racist for a black guy to actually kill a white woman. The murder isn’t racist. The commentary is. That&#8217;s what these despicable snakes are actually claiming.
Keep in mind, this is coming from the same people who declared from the first moment that the George Floyd footage went viral that it was a racist hate crime. There was nothing in the video — not a single thing — that indicated any kind of racial motivation whatsoever. And yet when a black suspect ODs while being detained by a white cop, it&#8217;s a racist killing. When a black criminal slaughters a white woman on the train, it’s a mental health episode. This is what these soulless goblins expect us to believe.
Hey, Van, here&#8217;s what we know. Statistically, a white person is 30 times more likely to be killed by a black person than the other way around. In 2019, there were about 560 thousand violent interracial incidents between blacks and whites. 470 thousand of them were black on white. That&#8217;s 85%. 240 black people were killed by whites. 560 white people were killed by blacks. And this is all in spite of the fact that white people make up 60% of the population. Blacks are 13%. Just by raw numbers — not even per capita, but raw numbers — there are more black interracial killers than white. There are 171 million more white people in the country, and yet there are more black interracial killers. That kind of disparity should be impossible. And yet it&#8217;s real, and it&#8217;s happening.
Per capita, the situation is even more dire. Black people — young black males in particular — are an order of magnitude more violent and more likely to commit crimes than any other group in the country. Black men are 5 or 6% of the population but they commit the majority of murders in this country. That makes black males in America more dangerous than perhaps any other demographic in the entire world, let alone the country. And we know all of this despite the efforts by the FBI and every other institution to hide and bury racial crime statistics. Imagine how much worse it really is. Imagine how grisly it would look if they let us see the whole picture, instead of just pieces of it.
But we can see enough to know, without any doubt whatsoever, that the violent crime epidemic is driven by one demographic to an overwhelmingly disproportionate degree. And all of this has happened while you, Van, and your propagandist cohorts, have spent years claiming that the reality is exactly the opposite of this. You paint a picture of a country where black people walk around in fear of white violence. Where black people are constantly tired and exhausted by the brutality inflicted upon them by the villainous whites.
But those of us who you condemn as “racists” — we are the ones who are tired. We are tired of not being able to walk down the street in our own cities. We are tired of losing good, productive citizens at the hands of violent degenerates who contribute nothing to society. We are tired of the total lack of accountability and responsibility. We are tired of a system that prioritizes the “restoration” and “rehabilitation&#8221; of violent psychopaths over the protection of innocent, law abiding people. And we are tired of pretending that all of this isn’t happening. We aren&#8217;t going to pretend anymore.

MixCollage-09-Sep-2025-02-15-PM-155

The Media Is Outraged That You’re Outraged By The Murder Of An Innocent White Woman

The Media Is Outraged That You're Outraged By The Murder Of An Innocent White Woman

Blacks

Charlotte

Legacy Media

Matt Walsh

Opinion

Van Jones

Whites

President Donald Trump delivered an address on Tuesday denouncing the rampant violent crime that is plaguing cities across the United States — many of which have been run by Democrats for decades — and focusing on the brutal murder of a young Ukrainian woman that took place just a couple of weeks earlier.
Repeat offender Decarlos Brown Jr. sat behind Iryna Zarutska, 23, on a light-rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina, on August 22 — and at 9:50 p.m., he took a folding knife from his pocket and stabbed her, at least once in the neck. She bled out in the seat as he stood up and walked calmly to the door, taking off his sweatshirt and dripping her blood on the floor.
Trump addressed that situation on Tuesday:
WATCH:
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President Donald J. Trump denounces senseless crime in Democrat-run cities &amp; the horrific murder of a young woman in Charlotte by a deranged criminal monster.
&#8220;It&#8217;s time to stop this madness. The people of our country need to insist on protection, safety, LAW &amp; ORDER.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/eUD5KuTufC">pic.twitter.com/eUD5KuTufC</a>
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1965443128195731891?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;For far too long, Americans have been forced to put up with Democrat-run cities that set loose savage, bloodthirsty criminals to prey on innocent people. Really, very innocent people,&#8221; Trump said from behind the Resolute Desk. &#8220;In every place they control, radical Left judges, politicians, and activists, and they&#8217;ve adopted a policy of catch-and-release for thugs and killers. In Charlotte, North Carolina, we saw the results of these policies when a 23-year-old woman from Ukraine met her bloody end on a public train.&#8221;
Trump held up a photo from the train&#8217;s camera that showed the moment just before Brown stabbed the young woman, who was minding her own business and looking at her phone at the time.
&#8220;She was slaughtered by a deranged monster who was roaming free after 14 prior arrests,&#8221; Trump continued. &#8220;We cannot allow a depraved criminal element of violent repeat offenders to continue spreading destruction and death throughout our country.&#8221;
The president&#8217;s solution to the problem, already on display in the nation&#8217;s capital, was simple: &#8220;We have to respond with force and strength. We have to be vicious just like they are. It&#8217;s the only thing they understand.&#8221;
Laying out some of the data, Trump noted that all but one of the most violent cities in the country were controlled by Democrat mayors. &#8220;It&#8217;s time to stop this madness. The people of our country need to insist on protection, safety, LAW &amp; ORDER.&#8221;

President Trump Meets With His Cabinet At The White House

Watch President Trump’s Full Oval Office Address On Brutal Train Murder

Watch President Trump's Full Oval Office Address On Brutal Train Murder

President Donald Trump reacted on Monday to the brutal murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska aboard the light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina, in late August.
Surveillance video from the train captured almost everything as repeat offender DeCarlos Brown, Jr. stabbed the 23-year-old woman three times, at least once in the neck, and then got up and walked casually to the door — stopping only to remove his sweatshirt — as blood dripped to the floor of the train car.
Trump responded to the video that went viral over the weekend — despite a lack of coverage from legacy media — in a post shared first to his Truth Social platform.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 Statement from <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: <a href="https://t.co/6ZsykAaPMW">pic.twitter.com/6ZsykAaPMW</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1965146715679543347?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;I have seen the horrific video of a beautiful, young Ukrainian refugee, who came to America to escape the vicious War in Ukraine, and was innocently riding the Metro in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she was brutally ambushed by a mentally deranged lunatic,&#8221; Trump posted.
He went on to note that Brown, who had been in and out of jail a number of times, had faced some 14 court cases in Mecklenburg County alone — and argued that he never should have been allowed back out on the streets.
&#8220;The perpetrator was a well known career criminal, who had been previously arrested and released on CASHLESS BAIL in January, a total of 14 TIMES. What the hell was he doing riding the train, and walking the streets? Criminals like this need to be LOCKED UP,&#8221; he wrote. &#8220;The blood of this innocent woman can literally be seen dripping from the killer’s knife, and now her blood is on the hands of the Democrats who refuse to put bad people in jail, including Former Disgraced Governor and &#8216;Wannabe Senator&#8217; Roy Cooper.&#8221;
&#8220;North Carolina, and every State, needs LAW AND ORDER, and only Republicans will deliver it! Additionally, where is the outrage from the Mainstream Media on this horrible tragedy?&#8221; Trump concluded with an endorsement for former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley in his Senate bid. &#8220;VOTE FOR MICHAEL WHATLEY FOR UNITED STATES SENATE, HE WON’T LET THIS HAPPEN AGAIN!&#8221;
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/charlotte-mayor-uses-brutal-train-murder-to-lecture-about-mental-health-resources" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles</a> released a statement as well, taking nearly the opposite tone. After briefly offering her condolences to the victim&#8217;s family, she issued a lengthy statement calling for more mental health resources and cautioning the public to not villainize those who had mental health struggles.

‘Where Is The Outrage?’: Trump Rails Against Media, Dem Crime Policies After Brutal Train Murder

Criminal Justice

In a stunning display of media deflection, Axios criticized “MAGA influencers” for drawing attention to violent urban crime, specifically in response to the recent horrific, deadly stabbing of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte, North Carolina. Instead of focusing on the deeply troubling facts of this case — a young woman fleeing war only to be killed while using public transportation — Axios decided to turn its spotlight on conservatives and Trump supporters for &#8220;elevating&#8221; the issue.
“The gruesome video of the fatal knife attack on Iryna Zarutska on a light-rail car in Charlotte is drawing attention from MAGA influencers seeking to elevate the issue of violent urban crime — and accuse mainstream media of under-covering shocking cases,” Axios tweeted, referring to its article that elaborated on the subject.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The gruesome video of the fatal knife attack on Iryna Zarutska on a light-rail car in Charlotte is drawing attention from MAGA influencers seeking to elevate the issue of violent urban crime — and accuse mainstream media of under-covering shocking cases. <a href="https://t.co/OIj3FYfDLE">https://t.co/OIj3FYfDLE</a>
— Axios (@axios) <a href="https://twitter.com/axios/status/1965010353353625669?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The attack occurred on August 22 aboard Charlotte’s light rail. DeCarlos Brown Jr., a 34-year-old man with a long criminal history, stabbed Zarutska multiple times, including once in the neck, as horrified passengers watched. Surveillance footage showed Zarutska collapsing while Brown casually stood near the doors, having removed his sweatshirt. Notably, he was reportedly riding the train without a ticket — another example of lax enforcement in urban areas. Zarutska had only recently arrived in the United States, having escaped war-torn Ukraine in the hope of a better life.
Despite the brutal nature of the crime, mainstream outlets barely offered any coverage, prompting widespread outrage among conservative commentators. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Trump advisor Stephen Miller, and Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) amplified the story on social media.
Yet Axios — instead of investigating the clear failures of public safety, or questioning why a known repeat offender was allowed to roam free — chose to frame the story as a political tactic by conservatives. The article didn’t ask why the system failed Zarutska; instead, it asked why people on the Right were talking about it at all.
Axios seems more concerned about who is sharing the video than why the footage exists. The legacy media ran wall-to-wall coverage of racially-charged cases like that of Daniel Penny, but in Zarutska’s case, their zeal is absent.
North Carolina GOP Senate candidate Michael Whatley used the incident to criticize Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s soft-on-crime policies, pointing to a 2020 executive order focused on racial profiling and systemic racism.
While Zarutska is barely reported in the mainstream media, Axios wants readers to focus on the supposed political opportunism of conservatives, not the death of an innocent young woman.
Axios got hammered on social media:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This really is a work of art. It&#8217;s like default mode for the media on any issue:
The ________ is drawing attention from MAGA influencers seeking to elevate the issue of _______ — and accuse mainstream media of under-covering ________ <a href="https://t.co/RKIA5jOW8m">https://t.co/RKIA5jOW8m</a>
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) <a href="https://twitter.com/redsteeze/status/1965026792458375679?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The murder of Iryna Zarutska by Decarlos Brown Jr. is a story worthy of national attention. A Ukrainian refugee flees Russia’s invasion only to be stabbed to death by a repeat violent offender? National story — except it is bad politics for Dems, so it is Republicans pounce time. <a href="https://t.co/oFZXt05UxF">https://t.co/oFZXt05UxF</a>
— Jerry Dunleavy IV 🇺🇸 (@JerryDunleavy) <a href="https://twitter.com/JerryDunleavy/status/1965024300655919185?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Pay attention to how Axios chose to headline this claptrap. No mention of the perp&#8217;s multiple arrests , no mention of the racial element, no mention of the refugee status of the victim. They don&#8217;t want to fuel public outrage over the dereliction of public servants responsible. <a href="https://t.co/YlgwUsyTm9">https://t.co/YlgwUsyTm9</a>
— Disinformation Expert Lizzy (@StarChamberMaid) <a href="https://twitter.com/StarChamberMaid/status/1965010988551623140?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
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You can always count on the “conservatives pounce” narrative.
— Bethany S. Mandel (@bethanyshondark) <a href="https://twitter.com/bethanyshondark/status/1965010696107905413?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Image 9-8-25 at 11.46 AM

Conservatives Pounce: Axios Targets ‘MAGA Influencers’ For Highlighting Murdered Ukrainian Refugee

Axios

Media Bias

Ukraine

President Donald Trump blasted Illinois Democratic Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson on Monday morning after seven people were killed and at least a dozen more were wounded in shootings throughout Chicago over the weekend.
Police in Chicago said the shooting victims ranged between the ages of 15 and 57 in more than a dozen shootings between Friday and Sunday, CBS News <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/chicago-weekend-shootings-sep-5-to-8-2025/">reported</a>. The violence in Chicago over the weekend came after another deadly few days over Labor Day weekend, when eight people were <a href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-shootings-labor-day-58c2b6678c89d340fb5ab699bf142247">killed</a> and at least 50 people were wounded.
&#8220;Governor Pritzker just stated that he doesn&#8217;t want Federal Government HELP! WHY???&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115168933967621443">posted</a> on Truth Social. &#8220;What is wrong with this guy, and the 5% in Polls Mayor. I want to help the people of Chicago, not hurt them. Only the Criminals will be hurt! We can move fast and stop this madness. The City and State have not been able to do the job. People of Illinois should band together and DEMAND PROTECTION. IT IS ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE!!! ACT NOW, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!!!&#8221;
In recent weeks, Trump has threatened to deploy the National Guard to Chicago to address the city&#8217;s violent crime problem after he sent troops and federal agents into Washington, D.C., last month. Trump posted a meme on Saturday, showing an AI-generated image of himself with military helicopters flying over Chicago, which is shown in flames.
The image was captioned: &#8220;I love the smell of deportations in the morning&#8230; Chicago about to find out why it&#8217;s called the Department of War.&#8221; Trump border czar Tom Homan said on Sunday that &#8220;sanctuary cities&#8221; should expect to see a surge in immigration enforcement, adding that use of National Guard troops to assist was on the table, ABC 7 Chicago <a href="https://abc7chicago.com/live-updates/chicago-federal-intervention-latest-president-trumps-immigration-enforcement-possible-national-guard-deployment-live-updates/17758521/entry/17767661/">reported</a>.
<iframe class="truthsocial-embed" style="max-width: 100%; border: 0;" src="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/115158096026629509/embed" width="600" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><script src="https://truthsocial.com/embed.js" async="async"></script>
&nbsp;
Democrats, including Pritzker, argued that the meme was a threat &#8220;to go to war with an American city.&#8221;
&#8220;This is not a joke. This is not normal,&#8221; Pritzker <a href="https://x.com/GovPritzker/status/1964367057052701152">posted</a> on X. &#8220;Donald Trump isn&#8217;t a strongman, he&#8217;s a scared man. Illinois won&#8217;t be intimidated by a wannabe dictator.&#8221;
Mayor Johnson <a href="https://x.com/chicagosmayor/status/1964384513548570871?s=46&amp;t=NOfQRKFbAKf3WtjF9OVfDQ">added</a>, &#8220;The President&#8217;s threats are beneath the honor of our nation, but the reality is that he wants to occupy our city and break our Constitution. We must defend our democracy from this authoritarianism by protecting each other and protecting Chicago from Donald Trump.&#8221;
Chicago has reported the most <a href="https://kfoxtv.com/news/nation-world/chicago-has-most-murders-of-any-us-city-for-13-consecutive-years-leavitt-white-house-press-secretary-president-donald-trump-illinois-governor-jb-pritzker-washington-dc-crime-crackdown-statistics-murder-homicide-deaths-carjacking-theft-assaults-weapons">homicides</a> of any American city for 13 straight years. Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-declares-were-going-in-chicago-on-notice-as-national-guard-plans-imminent">promised</a> last week that the federal government would take action.
&#8220;We&#8217;re going in. I didn&#8217;t say when we&#8217;re going in. … This isn&#8217;t a political thing. I have an obligation,&#8221; Trump said.
A National Guard deployment to Chicago would likely face legal challenges. Last week, a federal judge in California <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/judge-rules-trump-illegally-deployed-us-military-to-los-angeles">ruled</a> that Trump&#8217;s deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles in June was unlawful. The Trump administration is also being <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/d-c-files-suit-to-end-trumps-national-guard-deployment">sued</a> over its use of the National Guard in Washington, D.C.

Trump Rips Dems For Refusing Federal Help After More Deadly Shootings In Chicago

Brandon Johnson

Chicago

Illinois

J.B. Pritzker

Shooting

President Donald Trump scolded NBC News White House Correspondent Yamiche Alcindor over a question about whether his administration really means to &#8220;go to war&#8221; with the city of Chicago.
Alcindor asked the question as Trump prepared to leave the White House to attend the finals of the U.S. Open, and was referring to a meme — posted Saturday on Trump&#8217;s Truth Social platform — that read, &#8220;&#8216;I love the smell of deportations in the morning&#8230;&#8217; Chicago about to find out why it&#8217;s called the Department of WAR.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> BODIES <a href="https://twitter.com/Yamiche?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Yamiche</a> for asking if we&#8217;re &#8220;going to war with Chicago&#8221;:
&#8220;You never listen. That&#8217;s why you&#8217;re second-rate. We&#8217;re not going to war. We&#8217;re going to clean up our cities&#8230; so they don&#8217;t kill five people every weekend. That&#8217;s not war. That&#8217;s common sense.&#8221; 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/SJluB8lbyX">pic.twitter.com/SJluB8lbyX</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1964735186987577460?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Are you trying to go to war with Chicago?&#8221; Alcindor asked.
&#8220;When you say that, darling, that’s fake news,&#8221; Trump pushed back.
Alcindor started to respond, but Trump kept talking.
“I don&#8217;t go to war with — listen. Be quiet, listen!” Trump said. “You don’t listen! You never listen. That’s why you’re second-rate. We’re not going to war, we’re gonna clean up our cities. We’re gonna clean them up, so they don’t kill five people every weekend. That’s not war, that’s common sense.”
Trump jabbed at reporters again — and the city of Chicago — laying out the murder statistics from just the last two weekends in the Windy City.
&#8220;You know how many people were killed in Chicago last weekend? Eight. You know how many people were killed in Chicago the week before? Seven&#8230; 74 people were wounded. You think there&#8217;s worse than that?&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> goes off on the Fake News for downplaying crime in Chicago: &#8220;You know how many people were killed in Chicago last weekend? Eight. You know how many people were killed in Chicago the week before? Seven&#8230; 74 people were wounded. You think there&#8217;s worse than that?&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/xNLcKWncs4">pic.twitter.com/xNLcKWncs4</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1964728565762580773?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Trump has repeatedly said he&#8217;d send <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-declares-were-going-in-chicago-on-notice-as-national-guard-plans-imminent">National Guard</a> troops to several major cities — Chicago among them — in order to assist local law enforcement and help bring down soaring violent crime rates. That plan has been met with objections from Chicago Mayor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chicago-alderman-blows-up-at-mayor-governor-over-tit-for-tat-with-trump-over-crime">Brandon Johnson</a> and Illinois Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jb-pritzker-tries-to-fact-check-trump-gets-his-backside-handed-to-him-by-grok-instead">JB Pritzker</a>, both of whom have claimed that Chicago is getting better.

President Trump Holds Cabinet Meeting

‘Be Quiet’: Trump Shushes Reporter Over Question About ‘Going To War’ With Chicago

'Be Quiet': Trump Shushes Reporter Over Question About 'Going To War' With Chicago

NBC News

Charlotte, North Carolina, Mayor Vi Lyles released a statement following a brutal stabbing on the city&#8217;s public transit system, blaming the horrific situation on a lack of &#8220;social safety nets&#8221; and claiming that there was no way to &#8220;arrest our way out issues such [as] homelessness and mental health.&#8221;
Video circulated of DeCarlos Brown Jr., who was known by local police to be homeless and not mentally stable, attacking Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on August 22, while both were aboard the light rail, and stabbing her three times with a folding knife. Police said that he stabbed her at least once in the neck. As she collapsed to the floor, Brown could be seen getting up, taking off his sweatshirt, and standing by the doors. At the time of the attack, Brown was reportedly on the train without a ticket.
Lyles issued a lengthy statement several days later, only briefly mentioning the victim before launching into a lengthy diatribe on the lack of social services for men like Brown and arguing that &#8220;mental disease&#8221; should be treated like &#8220;cancer or heart disease&#8221; and never villainized.
As reported by WSOC&#8217;s Joe Bruno, Lyles began by saying, &#8220;First and foremost, my thoughts and prayers go out to the young women’s family and friends.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Mayor Vi Lyles has released the following statement in response to my inquiry about the fatal stabbing of Iryna Zarutska on the light rail:
First and foremost, my thoughts and prayers go out to the young women’s family and friends.
This is a tragic situation that sheds light on…
— Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBrunoWSOC9/status/1960407081896292507?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Immediately afterward, she pivoted to talk about the tragedy in a broader sense.
&#8220;This is a tragic situation that sheds light on problems with society safety nets related to mental healthcare and the systems that should be in place,&#8221; she said. &#8220;As we come to understand what happened and why, we must look at the entire situation.&#8221;
She went on to say that while she did not have Brown&#8217;s full medical history, she had learned he had a history of mental health struggles and &#8220;appears to have suffered a crisis. This was the unfortunate and tragic outcome.&#8221;
Lyles said that it was wrong to question the overall safety of public transit in Charlotte, claiming that &#8220;by and large&#8221; both the city of Charlotte and the transit system were &#8220;safe&#8221; but not immune to tragedy.
&#8220;Tragic incidents like these should force us to look at what we are doing across our community to address root causes,&#8221; she said, claiming, &#8220;We will never arrest our way out issues such [as] homelessness and mental health. I am committed to doing the hard work with Mecklenburg County, community leaders, health care service providers, and the private sector to ensure that Charlotte continues to be one of the best cities in the world, with the highest quality of life for everyone.&#8221;
She then stressed the importance of &#8220;not villainizing&#8221; mental health issues in the wake of such tragedies — and argued that those who
&#8220;I want to be clear that I am not villainizing those who struggle with their mental health or those who are unhoused. Mental health disease is just that – a disease like any other that needs to be treated with the same compassion, diligence, and commitment as cancer or heart disease. Our community must work to address the underlying issue of access to mental healthcare. Also, those who are unhoused are more frequently the victim of crimes and not the perpetrators. Too many people who are on the street need a safe place to sleep and wrap around services to lift them up. We, as a community, must do better for those members of our community who need help and have no place to go.&#8221;
While a report from Axios appeared to support Lyles&#8217; argument that North Carolina is lacking in some mental health resources and homeless aid services, but Charlotte specifically is also severely under-resourced in the district attorney&#8217;s office. Some 300 homicide cases are currently pending, and the Charlotte District Attorney&#8217;s office has only 85 prosecutors on staff to manage that load.
Lyles made no mention of the fact that Brown had been in and out of jail most of his adult life, and has had 14 previous court cases in Mecklenburg County.
Brown has been charged with murder, and his attorney has already filed to have a competency evaluation completed.

President Trump Participates In American Workforce Policy Advisory Board Meeting

Charlotte Mayor Uses Brutal Train Murder To Lecture About Mental Health Resources

Charlotte Mayor Blames Lack Of 'Social Safety Nets' For Brutal Train Murder

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