Suspect Arrested for Charlie Kirk Shooting: President Donald Trump announced the arrest on Fox and Friends early this morning. Later, at a news conference in Utah, officials identified the suspect as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson. They’d arrested him late Thursday night in St. George, Utah, about 250 miles from the site of the shooting. “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen,” Utah Governor Spencer Cox began. “We got him.”
What Led to Robinson’s Arrest? Cox says a family member of the suspect contacted a family friend and that family friend contacted a sheriff’s office. The family friend alleged that Robinson had confessed to shooting Kirk, or suggested he’d carried out the assassination. On Fox and Friends, Trump suggested the family friend was a minister involved with law enforcement. Details are scant at the moment.
What Evidence Did Officials Present? Cox said video surveillance allegedly showed Robinson arriving near campus in a Dodge Challenger about four hours before the shooting. Officials say physical evidence and Discord tie him to the shooting.
Was the Ammo Actually Engraved? It was, Cox said. But none related to “transgender ideology” as the Wall Street Journal erroneously reported yesterday. The unfired casings allegedly read: “Hey fascists! Catch!” with five arrows (possibly an input for a videogame), “If you read this, you are gay, LMAO” and “Oh bella caio, bella caio, bella caio caio caio” a possible reference to the Italian anti-fascist song. On the fired casing, a meme: “Notices bulges owo what’s this?”
What Is Known About Tyler Robinson? At this point, very little. This story is developing.
How Are Things in America? A day after Kirk’s assassination, a series of threats to at least seven Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) led to shut downs, lockdowns and cancelled classes. Nobody was hurt. The FBI said it was taking the “hoax threat calls” very seriously. In a statement, the Congressional Black Caucus said the threats were “not only vile–they are a chilling reminder of the relentless racism and extremism that continues to target and terrorize Black communities in this country.”
VP Vance Flew Kirk’s Body to Arizona on Air Force Two: A video posted to social media shows Vance carrying his casket. Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace, who said Tuesday that Democrats owned this shooting, plans to introduce a resolution allowing his body to lie in the Capitol Rotunda “should the Kirk family wish.” Republican Congresswoman Paula Luna suggested placing a statue of Kirk in the Capitol.
Smooth Move: Two people detained and released after Kirk’s shooting death are still facing threats. “They were never suspects, they were people of interest,” Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said. Huh, where’d they get that impression? From his department’s joint statement with the FBI on Wednesday that named them and said they’d been taken in as suspects? Releasing the names of people who have only been detained is dangerous, but the FBI has probably fired everyone who knew that.
Land of the Free: State Department Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau warned “foreigners” on Thursday that they were not welcome if they praised, rationalized, or made light of Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Seems like an attack on their free speech. I’m sure Republicans will leap to their defense.
Home of the Brave: Far-right influencers, violent extremists, and an anonymous website are identifying people for allegedly celebrating or glorifying Kirk’s death. The usual suspects are in play—including LibsofTikTok’s Chaya Raichik, unofficial Trump advisor and influencer Laura Loomer, and former Proud Boy Enrique Tarrio—but the hunt mostly revolves around the website “Charlie’s Murderers.” They’re exposing people’s names, jobs, locations, and social media accounts. Many of the highlighted posts did not glorify or promote violence, WIRED reported.
Pardoned Insurrectionists Calling for Civil War: One extremism expert told Mother Jones Kirk’s killing may “energize the far-right to intensify political violence, from street clashes and armed paramilitarism to calls for racist terror.” That said, a lot of these people are grifters. “These people cry civil war when Cracker Barrel changes their logo,” Jon Lewis, a research fellow at the Program on Extremism at George Washington University, told Mother Jones. He doesn’t think they’re going to swarm DC tomorrow. But the messages could inspire lone actors, experts said.
Political Violence: Authorities said the 16-year-old who shot two students at Evergreen High School in Colorado had been “radicalized” by “some extremist network” they didn’t name. The Denver Post reported that he expressed white supremacist views and showed an “interest in mass shooters in the days before the attack.”
No Drills? Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez proposed blocking funding for mandatory school shooter drills unless parents of students under 16 can opt out their kids. In Washington state, schools conduct drills once a month. Data from Everytown for Gun Safety, which pushes for gun control, says there is no data to support they reduce shootings, reduce injury, or prevent death. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommended keeping children out of “high-intensity drills and exercises,” and supports the active consent of students.
On the Run? Bellevue Police are still searching for a man wanted for killing and robbing 54-year-old Jason David Clark. The men were drinking when a fight broke out over the $3,000 he was carrying, police say. Detectives believe the man may have left the state.
Capitol Hill Crisis Center: The King County Council advanced plans for the 24-hour crisis center, part of a broader countywide plan. Nathalie and I wrote about it in May.
Well-Laid Plans: Friday is the last major public hearing about Seattle's Comprehensive Plan—the blueprint we use to decide how the city will grow over the next 20 years. Council members have introduced more than 100 amendments to the plan, which is about as unhinged as it sounds, but The Urbanist made a helpful cheat sheet for the most important ones. You have two chances to tell City Council how you feel: One that starts at 9:30 a.m. for remote speakers, and one that starts at 3 p.m., for in-person commenters. (You can register here.) If you want to listen to what your neighbors have to say, you can spend your day in City Hall, or watch the live stream on the Seattle Channel. Watch along for angry (but totally not racist) NIMBYs, wonky urbanists, and Sara Nelson resenting every second that the public gets to speak in that hall.
Weather: It’s cloudy, but the sun will come out eventually. Expect a high near 71 today.
Jealous? Brazil’s Supreme Court convicted former President Jair Bolsonaro of plotting a failed coup d’état to overturn the 2022 election, disband courts, hand power over to the military, and assassinate the then president-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro could go away for 27 years if his ticker doesn’t give out first (given the 70-year-old’s heart condition, his lawyers are likely to ask for house arrest). Brazil has seen 15 coup attempts since overthrowing its monarchy in 1889. Until now, a plotter had never been convicted.
