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Vance says he'll host the "Charlie Kirk Show" on Monday
Vice President JD Vance said Sunday that he will host “Charlie Kirk Show” podcast at noon on Monday.
“Tomorrow, I will have the honor of hosting the Charlie Kirk Show. Please join me as I pay tribute to my friend,” he posted on X along with a photo of a microphone set up on a desk.
Erika Kirk, the slain conservative activist’s widow, on Friday called the vice president a “dear friend” of Charlie Kirk and thanked him and the second lady Usha Vance “for their love and support.”
JD Vance, along with with the second lady, escorted Erika Kirk and her husband’s casket to Phoenix last week on a flight aboard Air Force Two from Salt Lake City. The second lady held Kirk’s hand as they got off the plane.
Republican speakers honor Charlie Kirk at vigil in Washington
A crowd of Charlie Kirk supporters gathered at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, for a memorial vigil for the conservative political activist on Sunday evening. The event featured speeches by friends of Kirk, members of the Trump administration and Congress.
Here’s what some high-profile speakers said:
- House Speaker Mike Johnson urged the audience of mourners to adopt the Turning Point founder’s principles and approach, insisting that “Charlie loved the vigorous debate, but he loved people more.”
- White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt praised Kirk’s legacy as one that championed conservative and Christian values and highlighted the impact his organization, Turning Point USA, had on the 2024 election. “President Trump loved you, Charlie, so much too,” Leavitt said. “Charlie was a beaming light in a world that is so consumed by darkness. It’s going to take all of us in this room and all of us across the country to take up Charlie’s torch.”
- Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard recalled joining Kirk at visits to college campuses and detailed how he sought out lively debate with those who disagreed with him. “Charlie lived by the principle that no matter how horrible another person’s speech may be, their ideas must be defeated by better ideas, not by resorting to violence,” she said.
- Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. described Kirk as the “primary architect” for his “unification” with Trump, calling the conservative activist his “spiritual brother.” Kennedy went on to criticize limits on First Amendment rights he felt took place during the Covid-19 pandemic, adding that “Charlie, more than any figure in our country, led the resistance that has restored freedom of speech to this country.”
Meanwhile, Trump leaves door open to more military action against Venezuela amid escalating tensions
President Donald Trump on Sunday left the door open toward a potential escalation against Venezuela, refusing to rule out military action amid growing tensions between the two countries.
Asked by reporters whether helping to remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was on the table, he responded, “We’ll see what happens. It’s not an option or not option.”
When asked on a potential escalation sending strikes to the mainland, Trump did not deny it and said: “Look, Venezuela is sending us their gang members, their drug dealers and drugs, its not acceptable.”
Trump again accused the Venezuelan government of fueling instability in the US through criminal activity.
The president’s remarks come amid a sharp increase in military tensions after the United States recently deployed eight warships and a submarine to the Caribbean in a “counter-drug mission.”
US forces this month struck a boat carrying 11 alleged members of the Venezuelas criminal gang Tren de Aragua, accusing them of trafficking drugs.
Venezuela strongly denied the accusations and condemned the attack. In response, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López has accused the US of conducting surveillance flights and attempting to orchestrate a military intervention aimed at toppling Maduro.
Evangelical pastors hail Charlie Kirk as a martyr in Sunday morning sermons
Speaking at Sunday sermons just days after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot, the evangelical leaders with whom he cultivated close relationships called him a martyr and framed his killing as an attack on the Christian faith.
“The attack on Charlie Kirk was much deeper than a political attack on the First Amendment,” said Jackson Lahmeyer, the pastor of Sheridan Church in Oklahoma and the founder of “Pastors for Trump,” which lobbied for President Donald Trump’s reelection. Some 5,631 people attended his 10 a.m. sermon, including both online and in person, he told CNN.
“The attack on Charlie was spiritual in nature and an attack on the very institution of the church,” said Lahmeyer, who told CNN he considered Kirk a friend. He read from the Sermon on the Mount, in which Jesus says, “Blessed are those who are prosecuted for righteousness’ sake.”
Pastors echoed Trump, who called Kirk a “martyr for truth and freedom” in an address Wednesday evening from the Oval Office and blamed “radical left political violence.”
Several pastors compared Kirk to the biblical figure Saint Stephen, who was stoned to death and is regarded as the first Christian martyr.
“Make no mistake, this was not random,” said Rob McCoy, the pastor of Godspeak Calvary Chapel in Southern California, who called himself Kirk’s “friend and his biggest fan” and said Kirk called him his pastor. “We are in a spiritual battle. The same murderous spirit that raged against the prophets, that crucified Christ and that martyred Stephen is raging again in our day.”
Arizona teen in custody for allegedly "destroying" memorial to Charlie Kirk in a video captured by Fox News
Police in Phoenix have taken a 19-year-old man into custody who they say was seen “destroying” a makeshift memorial beside the headquarters of Turning Point USA, the company that was founded by conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, who was killed Wednesday in Utah.
Footage captured by a Fox News crew Sunday morning shows a man stomping on the memorial before a bystander throws him down. In other video filmed and aired by Fox, police can be seen handcuffing the man.
“Officers were in the area to assist with traffic control due to a large community presence in the area following recent events,” the Phoenix Police Department said in a statement Sunday.
The man, whom police identified as Ryder Corral, was detained by witnesses before officers took him into custody, police said. No serious injuries were reported, police said in a statement to CNN.
Corral’s arrest is depicted in the Fox News video, Phoenix Police spokesperson Sgt. Phil Krynsky confirmed to CNN Sunday.
“Corral has been booked into the Maricopa County Jail on one count of criminal damage and another count for disorderly conduct,” Krynsky said in update.
CNN is working to confirm whether Corral has obtained an attorney.
Meanwhile, Trump says future of TikTok is up to China as deadline approaches for sale
President Donald Trump says he’s working toward an agreement with China on the future of TikTok, days ahead of a critical deadline for the social media app.
“We may let it die, or we may, I don’t know, it depends. It’s up to China,” Trump told reporters in New Jersey before returning to Washington.
“I’d like to do it for the kids,” he went on. “They like it.”
Trump faces a deadline on Wednesday to either enforce a law requiring TikTok’s parent company, Bytedance, to sell to a US buyer or be banned in the United States.
He’s delayed enforcing the law three times already.
The topic was a central point of discussion between Chinese and US officials — including US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer — in meetings in Madrid on Sunday.
Trump, who seemed agnostic about a plan for the app, touted his success in using it to cultivate young voters in last year’s election.
“I did very well on TikTok, and I got the youth vote and I got numbers that nobody’s ever even come close to in the Republican Party,” he said.
“Some was attributed to TikTok, and a lot was attributed to Charlie,” he went on, referring to the slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Trump says political violence only a problem on the left, not the right
President Donald Trump on Sunday continued accusing his political opponents of fomenting violence, pinning blame on the left for creating an environment of discord while claiming there isn’t violence problem on the right.
“The problem is on the left. It’s not on the right,” he told reporters in New Jersey as he was returning to Washington.
“When you look at the agitators, you look at the stuff that speaks so badly of our country, the American flag burnings all over the place, that’s the left. That’s not the right,” he added.
Instances of political violence have targeted both Democrats and Republicans in recent years. But Trump, as he denounces violence committed by left-leaning offenders, has mostly ignored attacks on Democrats.
Trump’s Sunday comments were the latest example of the president using broad accusations in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination last week. Federal and local authorities are still working to determine a motive in the killing.
Even before a suspect was caught, Trump used a video taped in the Oval Office last week to blame left-wing radicals.
He continued those accusations Sunday.
“These are sick people. These are really deranged people,” he said.
Authorities investigate motive of alleged shooter of Charlie Kirk. Here’s the latest
Authorities are continuing to investigate the motives of the alleged shooter following the killing of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University last week.
If you’re just joining our coverage, here are the latest developments we’re reporting today:
- Suspect in custody: Tyler Robinson, who is accused of killing Kirk, is being held in a special housing unit at the Utah County Jail pending a mental health evaluation, the Utah County Sheriff’s Office told CNN. The 22-year-old is set to appear in court on Tuesday and is being held without bail on charges of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm and obstruction of justice.
- Utah governor on shooting motives: Utah Gov. Spencer Cox spoke with several news outlets, including CNN, today about the potential motives and radicalization of the alleged shooter. Cox pointed to gaming and “dark internet” culture as potential factors that contributed to a shift, and said Robinson is not cooperating with authorities.
- Note left by alleged shooter: Investigators are looking into a note left by Robinson, but Cox declined to share the specifics.
- Robinson’s roommate: Authorities are now looking into whether Robinson’s relationship with his roommate, who is transitioning from male to female, may be tied to a potential motive in the shooting. Cox told CNN’s Dana Bash that it’s “easy to draw conclusions” but declined to speculate. He said the roommate “has been incredibly cooperative” and “had no idea that this was happening.”
- Governor’s conversation with Trump: Cox, a Republican, shared details about his conversation with President Donald Trump following the killing of Kirk. He said the president is “very angry” but talked about “nonviolence.”
- Fans mourn Kirk: Vigils are taking place across the country to pay tribute to Kirk. The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, is set to host a vigil tonight, while a massive memorial is scheduled for September 21 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Alleged Kirk shooter placed under special watch pending mental health evaluation
Tyler Robinson, the suspect in custody for the assassination of Charlie Kirk, is being held in a special housing unit at the Utah County Jail so staff can “keep a close eye on him,” the Utah County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to CNN in a statement.
Robinson is under enhanced supervision and will remain on special watch pending a mental health evaluation, a process that may take several days, according to Sgt. Ray Ormond.
“After cleared by mental health, he will proceed through our classification process to determine the appropriate housing area,” Ormond said. “He will continue to be monitored by mental, medical, and custody staff throughout the duration of his stay.”
Ormond stated the precautionary measures are standard for cases involving serious charges or potential behavioral concerns. While Ormond said he hasn’t been made aware of any specific suicidal comments from Robinson, the suspect will continue to be monitored by medical, mental health and custody staff throughout his stay.
Speaker Johnson "trying to calm the nerves" about security after Kirk shooting
Speaker Mike Johnson said he’s been working to reassure House members about their personal security in the days following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
“I’ve been talking with a lot of them over the last few days about that and trying to calm the nerves to assure them that we will make certain that everyone has a level of security that’s necessary,” he said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
Johnson said leadership is looking at “all the options” to bolster member security and urged lawmakers to “turn down the rhetoric,” saying allegations that Republicans are “fascists” is “not helpful.”
“There are some deranged people in society, and when they see leaders using that kind of language so often now, increasingly, it spurs them on to action,” he said, adding that he’s “heartened” to see “many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle are stepping up and saying that.”
Johnson said he will participate in a vigil for Kirk on Sunday evening at the Kennedy Center. He also said he would lead a moment of prayer for lawmakers when the House returns on Monday evening.
Utah Sen. Curtis challenges partisan labels for radicalization
Republican Utah Sen. John Curtis took aim at partisan labels for the word “radical” after the shooting of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk in his home state.
“I think you need to take the word radical and remove ‘right’ or ‘left.’ Radical coming from any direction is not good, it’s not healthy and it should be called out,” Curtis said on Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.”
The Utah Senator honed in on social media’s impact, saying there is often “zero liability for what people are putting out there.”
“It (social media) can be positive, but I fear in many cases, it’s a huge weight and a very negative weight on this generation.”
Curtis also noted the strength of Kirk’s organization Turning Point USA but said Kirk himself is “not replaceable.”
“I have no doubt those shoes will be filled, never quite the same way, but they will be filled,” Curtis said, acknowledging the group’s leadership vacuum in the wake of the shooting.
Noem says Trump is “grateful” for Memphis leaders on National Guard deployment plans
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Sunday that President Donald Trump is “grateful” for the cooperation of local leaders in Memphis as the administration prepares to deploy the National Guard to address violent crime in the city when Mayor Paul Young seemed to suggest otherwise.
“Well, the president will be working with the local mayor and the governor in Tennessee to make sure that operations are streamlined and that we’re effective, and that we’re going after the worst of the worst, those criminals that are there, getting them off the streets and making it safer,” Noem said in an interview with “Sunday Morning Futures” on Fox News with host Maria Bartiromo.
“So it’s good to have local leaders that understand the importance of the work that this president is doing,” she continued.
“The president is very engaged on this issue. He’s grateful for the partnership of those local leaders, and we’re looking forward to making a big difference there for the people that are in Tennessee.”
However, Young offered a starkly different account in an interview with CNN a day earlier, saying he was blindsided by the decision and does not support the deployment.
“I’m certainly not happy,” Young told CNN, referring to the deployment of federal troops. He said he only received definitive confirmation of the decision when Trump publicly discussed it on national television.
On Friday, during an appearance on “Fox & Friends,” Trump said he was sending National Guard troops to Memphis to combat the city’s high crime rates, calling it a “deeply troubled” place.
“The deployment may go beyond the National Guard and could include the Army if needed,” Trump said.
Colorado governor says individuals, "not the free speech," to blame for shootings
After shootings rocked the country this week, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis pushed back on Utah Gov. Spencer Cox’s characterization of social media as a “cancer,” and placed the blame on the perpetrators, saying “the responsibility lies firmly with them.”
“What I would focus on is condemning the act of violence. It’s not the free speech that led to this. It’s not the fact that people can talk and communicate online. It’s the actions of an unhinged, evil individual that caused this horrible, horrific assassination,” Polis said on ABC’s “This Week,” referencing the killing of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk.
The Colorado governor also prayed for the recovery of two students who were injured in a shooting at Evergreen High School in the Denver area. Polis acknowledged that the shooter was radicalized by online content, but the Democratic governor did not blame the shooting on the gunman’s access to media.
“Many people play video games, many people are online, many people watch movies, and many of them are perfectly peaceful Americans who contribute to making our country safer and a better place,” Polis said.
DHS Secretary Noem says Charlie Kirk’s assassination marks a global turning point
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk as a defining moment not only for the United States but for the world and discussed one of their final exchanges about violent crime and government accountability.
“In fact, the last thing Charlie had texted me about a day or two before he passed away, was about those mayors and governors,” Noem told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo” on Sunday. She was referring to ongoing discussions about President Donald Trump’s crackdown on crime and his push to deploy the National Guard to Democratic-led states, as he did in Washington, DC.
“He wanted them to be held accountable for how dangerous they were making the situation for their people to have to live in those cities,” Noem added.
When asked why Kirk’s assassination marked a national turning point, the DHS secretary emphasized its broader impact.
“It feels like a grief has settled on not just the country, but the entire world, something has changed.”
Noem also echoed the administration’s criticism of left-wing political rhetoric in the wake of the killing.
“Some of the rhetoric we’re seeing out of the left and out of political animals is ugly and it’s bitter and it’s seeking to seize this opportunity to turn it into evil. And I would just encourage everybody to start focusing on relationships, start focusing on each other and talk about what Charlie believed in.”
Cox signals "dark internet" culture contributed to alleged shooter's radicalization
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox further elaborated on how investigators have determined that Tyler Robinson, the alleged shooter of Charlie Kirk, had been radicalized, pointing to gaming and “dark internet” culture as potential factors that contributed to a shift.
Cox on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday gave more details about his comment to the Wall Street Journal last week that Robinson had been “deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology,” suggesting that came from conversations Robinson had with friends.
In an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” with Kristen Welker, Cox added, “According to family and people that we’re interviewing, he does come from a conservative family but his ideology was very different from his family and so that’s part of it.”
Robinson, Cox said, is not cooperating with authorities, but they have been able to glean significant information from family, friends, and acquaintances.
Cox suggested things changed for Robinson after he dropped out of Utah State University.
“It seemed to happen kind of after that — after he moved back to the southern part of Utah. Clearly, there was a lot of gaming going on, friends that have confirmed that there was kind of that deep, dark internet, Reddit culture and these other dark places of the internet where this person was going deep. You saw that on the casings. … the meme-ification that is happening in our society today,” he told NBC.
In an interview with ABC’s “This Week” with Martha Raddatz, Cox also confirmed reports that acquaintances were joking online with Robinson about photos released by the FBI during the manhunt.
“Those conversations definitely were happening. And they did not believe it was actually him — it was all joking until he admitted that it actually was him,” he said.
Cox, who appeared on a trio of Sunday shows to offer some new details about the investigation, said the White House asked him to.
“I don’t do a lot of national media anymore and it was the encouragement of the White House that I’m on this program this morning,” he told Raddatz.
Sen. Mark Kelly calls on leaders to choose their words wisely: “people are listening”
Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, the husband of former Democratic Rep. Gabby Giffords, who was shot at an event in 2011, called political violence “a pervasive issue in our country” and cautioned against placing blame with one side.
“Whether you’re a governor or senator, a member of the House, president of the United States, you have to be very careful about your words because people are listening,” Kelly said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday.
Kelly also criticized social media companies for “exploiting kids” and called for congressional action.
Kelly said his wife, who has been focused on curbing gun violence in the US since she was shot, was particularly affected by Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
“I would say this one in particular hit her pretty hard, and it’s because she saw the video. You know, the video is all over social media. It’s kind of hard to avoid, and you can just kind of stumble right into it,” Kelly said. “I hope some of these social media companies can scrub this off the internet, because it’s not good for kids to see this.”
Utah Gov. Cox: "We actually should disagree"
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has made it a personal campaign to turn down the nation’s political temperature and “disagree better” in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder.
But Trump ally Steve Bannon, meanwhile, has attacked Cox as a “national embarrassment.”
“Mr. Bannon is angry, and rightfully so. And I’m not saying we have to just sing Kumbaya and hold hands. What I’m saying is we actually should disagree. I think Charlie represented that better than anyone. Charlie said some very inflammatory things, and in some corners of the web, that’s all people have heard. But he also said some other things about forgiveness,” Cox told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union.”
He continued, “There are conflict entrepreneurs out there who benefit from radicalizing us. And I’m not one of those. I don’t know that that’s particularly helpful.”
Cox called for the removal of cell phones in classroom and efforts to hold social media companies to account.
He described the Kirk killing as a “direct assault on America” and called on Americans to “look in the mirror and decide, are we going to try to make it better, or are we going to make it worse?”
Utah governor describes "very sobering" conversation with Trump after shooting
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox had previously indicated that shooting suspect Tyler Robinson had discussed Charlie Kirk with his family. Asked on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday for more specifics, Cox said that Robinson was “just not a fan,” and declined to elaborate further.
Cox spoke by phone with President Donald Trump after his remarks at a press conference on Friday, he said, describing the call as a “long conversation” and “very sobering.”
According to Atlantic reporter McKay Coppins, Trump told Cox, “The type of person who would do something like that to Charlie Kirk would love to do it to us.”
Asked for his response, Cox told CNN’s Dana Bash, “He’s not wrong. I mean, he knows better than anyone as someone who literally was injured by a bullet, I mean, a fraction of an inch away from being killed a year ago. He understands that better than anyone.”
He said he was “grateful” that the president has talked about “nonviolence.”
Trump, Cox added, is “also very angry.”
“I get that. This is his close personal friend, and anger is a normal reaction,” he said.
Investigators looking into note left by alleged Kirk shooter
Investigators are looking into a note left by Tyler Robinson, the alleged shooter of Charlie Kirk, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said Sunday.
Social and gaming platform Discord vice president Jud Hoffman said in a statement Friday that there were “communications between the suspect’s roommate and a friend after the shooting where the roommate was recounting the contents of a note the suspect had left elsewhere.”
Cox appeared to confirm the existence of a note in an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union,” but indicated it was still under review.
“Those are things that are still being processed for accuracy and verification and will be included in charging documents,” Cox said.
Pressed by Bash on whether a note was found and its contents were known by law enforcement, he declined to share specifics.