Prosecutors to Present Their Case Against Alleged Charlie Kirk Assassin

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Prosecutors to Present Their Case Against Alleged Charlie Kirk Assassin

(Headline USA) Charlie Kirk’s widow and parents are expected this week in a Utah court where prosecutors seeking the death penalty will argue that the man charged with killing the conservative activist should stand trial for murder.

The five-day preliminary hearing that starts Monday will be the first time members of Kirk’s family are in the Utah courtroom with defendant Tyler Robinson. The hearing will be livestreamed.

Robinson turned himself in after the shooting. Prosecutors allege that he also sent a text message confession to his partner and left a note saying he had an opportunity to kill one of the nation’s leading conservative voices “and I’m going to take it.”

He has not entered a plea in the case, however.

Robinson, 23, is charged with aggravated murder in the Sept. 10 assassination of Kirk, who was addressing a crowd of thousands at Utah Valley University. His attorneys have not commented on his guilt or innocence.

Months of legal jostling leading up to the hearing centered largely on media access. Beginning Monday, the focus shifts to whether there is enough evidence for a trial and if the death penalty is warranted, said Paul Cassell, a University of Utah law professor and former federal judge.

Cassell said evidence made public to date in court filings suggests prosecutors have “an overwhelming case.”

“This seems like the proverbial slam dunk at this stage of the case, where the only issue is whether there is a sound basis for moving forward with a trial on the merits,” he said.

A death sentence is an option in Utah only when a crime has aggravating circumstances. Prosecutors will argue in Robinson’s case that Kirk’s shooting endangered others in attendance.

The proceeding will resemble a minitrial, with prosecutors planning to offer DNA evidence linking Robinson to the suspected murder weapon, testimony from investigators, autopsy findings, witness statements and video of Kirk’s killing. They are not required to present all their evidence and can use secondhand information, or hearsay.

After the hearing concludes, state District Judge Tony Graf must determine if the case should proceed.

Reporters and the public will be allowed to attend after Graf denied a defense request to restrict access.

Kirk’s killing drew backlash from his Republican allies, including President Donald Trump, who first announced Robinson’s arrest in a Sept. 12 interview on Fox News and said, “I hope he gets the death penalty.”

This week prosecutors need only demonstrate that there are reasonable grounds to believe Robinson killed Kirk. The standard is lower than for a trial, where prosecutors have to prove guilt “beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Authorities have said DNA consistent with Robinson’s was found on the trigger of the rifle used to kill Kirk, the fired cartridge casing, two unfired cartridges and a towel used to wrap the rifle.

Robinson’s parents had confronted him after authorities released a surveillance photo of the suspect and details about the rifle, authorities have said. His parents convinced him to meet with a family friend, who is a retired sheriff’s deputy, who reportedly helped arrange for Robinson to turn himself in.

Prosecutors have said Robinson left a note for his roommate, who was also his romantic partner, that read, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.” They also said he wrote to his roommate in a text message about Kirk: “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”

Defense attorneys unsuccessfully sought to block prosecutors from using recorded statements from Robinson’s roommate during the hearing. The defense wanted the roommate to testify in person so Robinson could exercise his right challenge the credibility of witnesses against him. Graf said the time for challenging witnesses would come later.

Before his death, Kirk and the organization he co-founded, Turning Point USA, galvanized the conservative youth vote to help Trump win a second term.

His widow, Erika Kirk, who took the helm of the organization after his death, pushed to maintain public access to Robinson’s prosecution when defense attorneys sought to exclude camerasfrom the courtroom. She forgave Robinson during her husband’s memorial service.

She is expected in court throughout the week with her husband’s parents, Robert and Kathryn Kirk, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press



Pastor Freed from Prison in China Weeks after Trump Requested His Release

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Pastor Freed from Prison in China Weeks after Trump Requested His Release

(Headline USA) A pastor of a prominent underground church who was detained in China in October has been released, less than two months after U.S. President Donald Trump brought up his case when meeting Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing, his family and rights advocates said Saturday.

Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri arrived in Los Angeles and “is finally reunited with his family,” Frances Hui of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation wrote on X.

He and 17 other leaders of the underground Zion Church were detained in October in one of China’s largest crackdowns on a single church in decades, raising worries over an escalation in the government’s curtailing of religious freedom.

A family statement said Jin’s release happened very quickly. It thanked Trump and said they know the release could not have happened without Xi’s direct intervention.

“We hope this is a signal of a positive turn for people of faith in China and relations between our two nations,” the statement said.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Jin’s case gained attention after Trump, on the way home from a state visit to Beijing in May, said he raised with Xi the detentions of both the pastor and that of imprisoned Hong Kong activist Jimmy Lai.

“He said he’s gonna strongly consider the pastor,” Trump told reporters on his flight. But, he said, Xi told him that Lai’s case “would be a tough one.”

The 78-year-old Lai, a former clothing magnate and publisher of a Hong Kong tabloid critical of Beijing, received a 20-year sentence in February.

Activists welcomed Jin’s release but also remembered other church leaders still being held.

“At least 8 members of Zion Church remain detained in China,” Maya Wang from Human Rights Watch wrote on X. “They should all be freed.”

The Zion Church is among the largest underground or house churches in China that are unregistered with authorities. They defy a requirement that believers worship only in registered congregations.

The ruling Communist Party, which is officially atheist, views organized religion as a potential threat to its hold on power. Under Xi, Chinese authorities have pushed to “Sinicize” religion by demanding loyalty to the party.

“My father started Zion in order to worship freely in a church that put God as the sole head of our church, like many faithful Christians everywhere,” his daughter Grace Jin Drexel, who lives in the United States, told a congressional committee in November.

Jin brought his family to the U.S. after authorities targeted Zion Church in 2018 but decided to go back despite the risks. His daughter said last fall that she hadn’t seen her father in six years.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

Trump Defies Severe Storms to Deliver Late-Night ‘America 250’ Speech

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Trump Defies Severe Storms to Deliver Late-Night ‘America 250’ Speech

(, The Center Square) President Donald Trump delivered a weather-delayed speech Saturday highlighting American exceptionalism while warning of the growing threat of rising democratic socialism and communism movements as America celebrated 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence,

“I’M HERE!!!” the president wrote in a Truth Social post at 10:16 p.m. ET, more than an hour after he originally planned to speak, but said he would give his speech Saturday night “no matter what.”

The speech was delayed because of severe weather and many of the planned events before Trump spoke were canceled.

Trump’s remarks began at 11:17 PM ET, just after Lee Greenwood sang God Bless the USA.

“I want to thank everybody, because they did the right thing. They saw lightning, and I said, ‘There’s no way. If we have to speak in front of one person at 4 o’clock in the morning, I’m going to be here. There’s no way we can be deterred,'” Trump said as he began the delayed speech.

“All of the nations of the world, all over the world, they try and be like us and with God’s help we will always be this or even better,” said Trump is his 37-minute speech.

“We have thrived to flourish because our founders were great. Our cause was just. Our people brave Our culture is exceptional and our destiny is written by God.”

Trump brought several World War Two veterans and Gold Star families onto the stage during the speech.

The speech was not as political as his speech Friday night at Mount Rushmore, when Trump warned of the threat of communism that evoked one of the country’s ugliest chapters.

“Communism is a mortal threat to American liberty,” he said from Mount Rushmore. “It is the greatest threat to our country, including World War I, World War II, Pearl Harbor or even 9/11.”

“You can be loyal to Karl Marx, or you can be loyal to America. You can be a communist or you can be a patriot. You cannot be both.”

Candidates endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America have scored victories in 35 primaries so far this year, including upsets against entrenched incumbents.

The DSA has backed 150 candidates this cycle: 35 advanced from their primaries or were unopposed, while 34 have lost. Some of the wins include incumbents in federal or local government. The remaining results are still outstanding.

The scheduled fireworks that followed Trump’s speech featured roughly 850,000 fireworks shells. The record-breaking display was set to run approximately 40 minutes.

The fireworks were launched from ten different locations, including the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, West Potomac Park, and eight barges in the Potomac River.

The large shells required a 1,000-foot setback and barrier from the crowd for safety.

WATCH: Brooklyn Bridge Catches on Fire During Fireworks Celebration

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WATCH: Brooklyn Bridge Catches on Fire During Fireworks Celebration

(Headline USA) A fire broke out on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York during the city’s July Fourth fireworks show, spreading flames and setting off a plume of smoke before firefighters extinguished the blaze. No injuries were reported.

Two fire engines were used to put out the blaze, the city’s fire department said. Firefighters were seen dousing the flames shortly before 10 p.m. on the bridge, which had been closed to traffic during the show.

A department spokesperson said such fires are not unexpected and are why officials keep crowds at a distance during fireworks.

The show was moved up early because of the threat of severe weather that canceled and delayed other celebrations along the East Coast. That includes Washington, where storm prompted an evacuation of crowdgoers on the National Mall.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

8 Shot, Including 4 Kids, During July 4th Event in NYC

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8 Shot, Including 4 Kids, During July 4th Event in NYC

(Headline USA) A shooting at a Fourth of July cookout near New York’s Coney Island beach wounded eight people, including four children, police said.

One of the victims, a 21-year-old woman, was in critical condition while the others were described as being stable and expected to survive, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Sunday.

The shooting broke out Saturday night in the courtyard of an apartment building about a block from the famed Coney Island boardwalk and not far from the site of the Nathan’s Famous hot dog eating contest held earlier on the holiday.

The police commissioner said a suspect wearing a black mask fired into the courtyard where a family had gathered for a cookout. The shooter fled but police did recover a gun, Tisch said.

The four children shot are ages 6, 7, 12 and 14, Tisch said. There were no reports of any earlier disturbances at the gathering, she said.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

CNN Host Caught in Cringeworthy Hypocrisy over AC Temperature

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CNN Host Caught in Cringeworthy Hypocrisy over AC Temperature

(Ben Sellers, Headline USA) Things got heated during a recent CNN panel debate about New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s edict to set thermostats at 78 degrees Fahrenheit amid a record-shattering heat wave.

But not literally.

As panelist Ben Ferguson pointed out, the studio where the discussion took place was anything but toasty.

“By the way, just to be clear, it’s not 78 degrees in here right now! No one’s gonna buy this. It’s absurd,” he said.

Host and moderator Abby Phillip, known to many as the bane of Scott Jennings’s existence, interjected to tell Ferguson how peculiar it was for him to object to enduring sweltering indoor temperatures at the behest of the socialist city leader.

“This is a weird hill to die on. … you can let this one go,” Phillip beseeched.

But Ferguson pressed on, urging Phillip to practice what she preached.

“Or we can turn it up to 78 right now in solidarity: We stand with Mamdani,” he said.

Phillip again tried to shame her guest by suggesting that his opposition to the AC ban was politically motivated.

“You don’t have to jump off the partisan cliff,” she said.

CNN’s studio wasn’t the only New York City location exposed for its hypocrisy.

Reporters with infrared thermometers tested 20 spots at City Hall, revealing that the temperatures there were set as low as 54 degrees, the New York Post reported.

All but five of the spots were below 78 degrees.

“Maybe the mayor shouldn’t tell New Yorkers to sacrifice their comfort if he isn’t willing to do the same,” said City Council minority leader David Carr.

Ben Sellers is a freelance writer and former editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/realbensellers.

Details Unfold about Federal Corruption Probe of Gavin Newsom

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Details Unfold about Federal Corruption Probe of Gavin Newsom

(Ben Sellers, Headline USA) Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s claim of being politically persecuted by the Trump administration quickly unraveled on Thursday after a report revealed that one of his political appointees may have been wearing a wire for two years as part of a corruption probe.

The timeline would put the start of the FBI’s investigation into Newsom administration officials during the Biden administration.

Alexis Podesta, described as a “Democrat insider,” secretly recorded conversations with top California officials, including Newsom’s former chief-of-staff, Dana Williamson, the New York Post reported.

Williamson pleaded guilty in May to federal fraud and tax charges, and several other individuals in Newsom’s inner circle have received notifications that their communications were intercepted as part of the probe.

The investigation initially centered around Williamson, Deputy State Attorney General Sean McCluskie and lobbyist Greg Campbell, who were accused of stealing campaign funds from then-Health and Human Services Sec. Xavier Becerra.

Becerra is currently running against Republican Steve Hilton to replace Newsom as California governor. But it remains to be seen what backlash the scandal could have on Democrats, who have maintained complete control of the state government since 2011.

In a lengthy rant on X, Newsom’s press office insisted Friday that he barely knew Podesta (who is of no known relation to Democrat insider John Podesta, best known for his starring role in the Pizzagate scandal).

“MAGA bootlickers are spreading false information that the NY Comic Book has refused to correct in an article filled with innuendo, NOT facts,” said the rant, in reference to the New York Post’s reporting.

“Framing Ms. Podesta’s personal relationship with Ms. Williamson as part of the Governor’s inner circle is shoddy journalism,” Newsom’s press office claimed.

The DOJ informed Newsom last month that its investigation has expanded to include both him and his wife.

That prompted a preemptive attack from Newsom, in which he insisted that he was being targeted due to the threat he posed politically.

“Donald Trump isn’t just coming after me because of my mean tweets, he’s coming after me because I am considering running for president,” Newsom said. “Because he hates that I’ve consistently call him out over and over again for his lies and deceit. Donald Trump is simply the most corrupt president in American history.”

Ben Sellers is a freelance writer and former editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/realbensellers.

Leftist Media Outlet Allegedly Exposed Sources for Months via Hacked Tipline

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Leftist Media Outlet Allegedly Exposed Sources for Months via Hacked Tipline

(Ben Sellers, Headline USA) A far-left news site supposedly known for its hard-hitting investigative reports left its anonymous tipsters exposed for months due to the hack of an unmonitored Signal chat.

A recent cover story from The Intercept offered a flattering portrayal of alleged Nazi domestic abuser Graham Platner, the Democratic senatorial candidate in Maine. The site also has celebrated the socialist capture of cities such as New York.

But despite the sensitivity of the subject matter, which often relies on anonymous sources, the site itself seems to have no clue as to who has been monitoring its tipline, with some fearing that the messages were being, well, intercepted.

The word of a hack first broke on June 30, when the outlet issued a post claiming that it had “updated” the account for its encrypted Signal chat while urging users not to use the previous one.

However, as Drop Site News revealed, red flags have been present since at least February, when a linked X account describing itself as the “investigative intake” for the Intercept first began actively posting and commenting on the posts of high-profile policymakers.

Drop Site explained that Signal allows chats that have gone “dormant” to be reclaimed by other users, which may have happened if The Intercept had not actively monitored its tipline. Nonetheless, the inactive chat remained posted as a means of contact on its website until recently.

Dave Bralow, The Intercept’s chief legal officer, acknowledged in a statement to Drop Site that it had responded after “learning about an effort to impersonate The Intercept on social media.”

But when Drop Site reporters reached out to the old account, the person responding continued to act as if working on behalf of The Intercept.

“I’m happy to take tips directly, so just send me what you’ve got,” said the responder, who went on to indicate an interest in tips on “surveillance, corporate fraud, human rights, environmental crimes, and government accountability.”

Libertarian journalist Glenn Greenwald, who was one of The Intercept’s original 2014 cofounders before leaving in a high-profile rift just before the 2020 U.S. election, slammed the outlet’s security breach, saying it “should have already died a mercy death.”

Greenwald noted that the site’s management had followed a familiar pattern of refusing to take accountability and publicly downplaying concern.

“Who knows how many people were endangered and compromised by this, or what the intentions were of the person able to successfully impersonate them due to The Intercept’s long-standing managerial recklessness and ongoing contempt for the journalistic duty to protect sources,” Greenwald wrote.

Reliance on Signal has led to problems in the past, most notably after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other top defense officials inadvertently revealed sensitive information about a planned strike on Yemen in a chat being surreptitiously monitored by Jeffrey Goldberg, a reporter for the far-left Atlantic.

As part of its extensive coverage of the Pentagon leak, The Intercept chided, “Despite the high level of protection that end-to-end encryption provides in transit, however, the group chat also raised serious security issues. Even secure messaging apps cannot solve the problem of hackers who have compromised the device running them. Nor can they keep information secret in the event of human error …”

Ben Sellers is a freelance writer and former editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/realbensellers.

Black Woman Wins Philly’s Ben Franklin Lookalike Contest

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Black Woman Wins Philly’s Ben Franklin Lookalike Contest

(Headline USA) When Benjamin Franklin declared that the newly formed U.S. government was “a republic, if you can keep it,” little did he know that he, himself, would play a part in its DEI-driven downfall some 250 years later.

A parade of woke virtue-signaling took over Philadelphia’s Independence Mall on Thursday, in the same location that, 250 years ago, Franklin and 55 other Founding Fathers first declared their emancipation from England.

Just outside the Liberty Bell, a contest involving 30 Franklin “look-alikes” was won by a 25-year-old black woman.

“Thank you so much for picking me, and stay weird,” said the winner, Kiya Burgess, who took hope a pot of winnings that included the $1 entry fee from each contestant, KYW Newsradio reported.

Burgess revealed that the contest marked one of her first attempts to create a costume.

“I love cosplay. I love dressing up, and I already had this costume, so I just wanted to come and show everyone what I made because I like to sew, and this is one of my first costumes,” she said.

The contest featured a wide array of interpreters, some of whom looked more traditionally like Franklin, and several of whom took the opportunity to cross-dress and culturally appropriate the oldest signer of the Declaration of Independence.

“There’s something about chubby and bald that just, I don’t know, the French like it and so it seems does the Philadelphians,” said well known Franklin interpreter Mitchell Kramer, one of the contest’s judges.

The event was organized by Elena Jackendoff, a 32-year-old Johns Hopkins University student, who posted flyers announcing it.

“You have to make the event you want to see in the world,” she said, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

While the lighthearted even may have been all in good fun, it follows a pattern that has seen the City of Brotherly Love go out of its way to besmirch its patriotic heritage.

The city canceled its Salute to Independence Semiquincentennial Parade on Thursday, citing extreme heat.

Meanwhile, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was one of several Democrat governors who attempted to boycott the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, in Washington, D.C.

Ultimately, Sens. John Fetterman and David McCormick intervened to ensure the Keystone State was represented.

Philadelphia also has come under criticism for its passive aggressive attempts to defy Trump’s orders to excise DEI from national monuments.

After an executive order required officials to take down an exhibition about slavery at the Liberty Bell , they instead posted handwritten signs on the window discussing what had been removed.

The city also sued the National Park Service to prevent the removal of the divisive exhibit at the President’s House, part of the Independence Mall complex that includes the Liberty Bell. In June, a federal appeals court reversed a lower-court judge’s injunction to prevent the exhibit’s removal.

“That mandatory injunction gives a municipality veto power over what the national federal government says on its own property, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory in den Berken, according to WHYY.

Philly’s own George Soros-backed district attorney, Larry Krasner, and other elected law-enforcement officials, including sheriff Rochelle Bilal, have openly defied the Trump administration on issues including immigration enforcement.

“”If any of them want to come in this city and commit a crime, you will not be able to hide,” Bilal said in January, threatening to arrest ICE officers for performing their duties. “… You don’t want this smoke, ’cause we will bring it to you.”

Nancy Pelosi’s Husband Charged after Hit-and-Run Crash

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Nancy Pelosi’s Husband Charged after Hit-and-Run Crash

(Headline USA) Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband was involved in a hit and run on Friday in California’s wine country that left one car with “major damage,” according to local authorities, who said that the 86-year-old could face misdemeanor charges for the collision.

Shortly after the announcement, the Daily Mail reported that Paul Pelosi was indeed hit with a misdemeanor.

He was driving his brown convertible in Yountville, a small town in the heart of wine country in Napa County, when he struck a legally parked car on the side of the road, briefly stopped and then drove away, Napa County Sheriff’s department said in a news release on Saturday. There were no reported injuries.

A witness saw the collision and called 911. Shortly after, sheriff’s deputies then found Paul Pelosi with severe damage to the front of his car on a nearby road roughly one quarter of a mile away. The octogenarian told officers that he knew he hit something but wasn’t sure when or what caused the damage to his car.

Paul Pelosi didn’t have any alcohol in his system at the time of the crash, according to the statement. The sheriff’s department referred Paul Pelosi to the California Department of Motor Vehicles to initiate a process that will determine whether he is able to continue driving — a process that officials say is “common” for elderly drivers.

He wasn’t arrested, and because no one was physically injured, the sheriff’s department recommended a misdemeanor that charges Paul Pelosi with fleeing the scene of an accident.

A staffer for Congresswoman Pelosi didn’t respond to an emailed request for comment on Saturday afternoon.

Paul Pelosi pleaded guilty in 2022 to misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence in Napa County. He was sentenced to five days in jail and three years of probation — though he only served two days in jail and received good conduct credit for two other days, leaving just one day to serve in a work program at the local courthouse.

As part of his probation, Paul Pelosi he was also required to attend a three-month drinking driver class, and install an ignition interlock device, where the driver has to provide a breath sample to prove sobriety before the engine will start. He was also ordered to pay about $5,000 in victim restitution for medical bills and lost wages and nearly $2,000 in fines.

Shortly after that crash, Paul Pelosi was attacked and severely beaten with a hammer at the couple’s San Francisco home in late 2022.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

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