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Utah Democrats receive threatening voice messages in wake of Charlie Kirk’s killing

September 12, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(UTAH) — Just hours after an assailant gunned down conservative commentator Charlie Kirk on the Utah Valley University campus Wednesday, voice messages containing a torrent of expletive-laden insults were sent to Democratic members of the Utah state House, blaming them for Kirk’s killing, according to audio of two calls obtained by ABC News.

The calls came in just after 10 p.m. on Wednesday night to House Democrats’ staff work numbers from an unidentified male caller, who called the Democrats “demons” and “enemies to the American people.”

“You should find somewhere else to f—ing live. You murderous terrorist animals, you despicable f—ing subhuman, f—ing violent, disgusting f—ing animals. You murdered that man in front of his f—ing family, you evil f—ing pieces of s—, subhuman f—ing garbage,” the man said. “I don’t even want to see the f—ing color blue in the state of Utah ever again. I’m gonna burn everything blue in my entire f—ing house.”

In a second message, the same caller directly addressed a staff member by name and told them to “leave the f—ing state.”

“You murdered that man in front of his f—ing family,” the caller said, adding, Democrats nationwide belonged in “hell.”

Utah House Democrats have shared with law enforcement the threatening voicemails and emails they’ve received in the wake of Kirk’s assassination, House minority leader Rep. Angela Romero told ABC News.

Romero added that the calls were particularly intimidating at this raw time of heightened political tension and rhetoric.

“It made me feel uneasy, especially being a woman and a woman of color in a super red state — so it’s not like this is my first rodeo, but this really made me feel uncomfortable,” Romero said.

She said a separate caller told her, “I was despicable, I shouldn’t serve in office, it’s my fault that Mr. Kirk was murdered.”

Other lawmakers have said they received threats following Kirk’s killing. Rep. Nancy Mace, a Republican who is running for governor in South Carolina, announced Friday her office had been “bombarded” with “threatening phone calls” — and accused Democrats for the “hateful” messages.

The vitriol levied at uninvolved lawmakers since Wednesday’s shooting has had a chilling effect on the American tradition of lawmakers’ community engagement — as well as the open debate and political discourse Kirk himself espoused.

Romero said she has canceled her own door-knocking that had been scheduled for this weekend. She had planned on canvassing and “getting people’s feedback” as they’re poised to go through redistricting. She has recommended that others in her caucus consider doing the same.

“I decided this probably wasn’t the best time, and I’d rather people be safe than be put in a compromising position,” Romero said.

“I don’t maybe agree with [Kirk’s] political ideology, but he still had a family that loved him, he still had a partner, he still had children. Just because you don’t agree with someone on their policy stances doesn’t mean that you silence their voice by murdering them, whether it was Mr. Kirk or whether it was Representative Hortman,” Romero said, referring to the Minnesota Democratic lawmaker gunned down on her doorstep with her spouse earlier this year in another act of political violence.

“At the end of the day, we’re all human. And it’s sad that we’ve gotten to this place in our country where people can’t even have conversations anymore,” Romero said.

After Charlie Kirk’s killing, MAGA world mourns, but some say ‘we’re at war’

September 12, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — As voices across the political spectrum call to lower the temperature following the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Wednesday, many in the MAGA world are mourning his loss, with some enraged and escalating their rhetoric online.

Across social media, some of the most popular voices in the pro-Trump movement are calling for a crackdown on Democrats and for the Trump administration to take action in the aftermath of the killing.

In private, peers of Kirk say they are shocked and horrified by the shooting — with some MAGA influencers telling ABC News they may be hesitant to do public events in the future — but they are also equally angry and demanding consequences.

“This will be the real turning point,” one person told ABC News.

“The best way President Trump can reinforce Charlie’s legacy is by cracking down on the Left with the full force of the government,” said Laura Loomer in a post on X after Kirk’s death was announced.

“No mercy. Jail every single Leftist who makes a threat of political violence,” Loomer added.

In an earlier post, she wrote that “we must shut these lunatic leftists down. Once and for all. The Left is a national security threat.”

Meanwhile, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who has largely avoided politics in recent months, posted that “the Left is the party of murder” and added “if they won’t leave us in peace, then our choice is fight or die.”

Conservative activist Christopher Rufo called for a J. Edgar Hoover–style campaign to target the “radical left.” Hoover, as head of the FBI, led a sweeping, controversial crackdown amid the civil rights movement through surveillance and other means to target political groups.

“The last time the radical Left orchestrated a wave of violence and terror, J. Edgar Hoover shut it all down within a few years. It is time, within the confines of the law, to infiltrate, disrupt, arrest, and incarcerate all of those who are responsible for this chaos,” he wrote on X.

Pro-Trump influencer Joey Mannarino, who has over 600,000 followers on X, urged Trump to take an El Salvador–style approach — a reference to the country’s controversial campaign of mass arrests and suspended civil liberties, which drew accusations of authoritarianism and human rights abuses.

“Trump has to go full Bukele. Now. Fill the jails up with these terrorists,” Mannarino said.

Elsewhere, on Steve Bannon’s podcast, MAGA figure Jack Posobiec called for retribution.

“There’s never going to be another Charlie Kirk, but there’s never going to be another assassin to take out someone like the way they did because of what comes next will be swift, quick and it will be retribution,” Posobiec said.

One word in particular was echoed by leading voices in the MAGA movement: “War.”

Lone time Trump ally Bannon called Kirk’s death an assassination, remembering Kirk as a “warrior.”

“Charlie Kirk did not die,” Bannon said on his WarRoom show Wednesday, adding, “Charlie Kirk was assassinated today in Utah.”

In the conversation with Posobiec, Bannon said that his friend Kirk was a “casualty” whose life was taken in cold blood.

“Charlie Kirk is a casualty of the political war,” Bannon said. He also said, “We are at war in this country and you have to have steely resolve.”

Others echoed Bannon’s sentiment.

“THIS IS WAR,” the account Libs of TikTok posted on X after the shooting. The post has more than 78,000 likes.

Venture capitalist and Musk ally Shaun Maguire said in a post, “We’re not supposed to say this but the truth is we’re at War.”

And far-right radio host Alex Jones speaking in a video he posted on X declared, “we’re at war.”

Some prominent Republicans, however, called for an end to political violence on both sides of the political aisle.

Former President George Bush released a statement saying, “Violence and vitriol must be purged from the public square. Members of other political parties are not our enemies; they are our fellow citizens,” he wrote.

In the immediate aftermath of Kirk’s killing, House Speaker Mike Johnson said during an appearance on Fox News “We have got to turn the heat down a little bit. We got to have civil discourse.” “That’s what’s so important for us to remember,” Johnson said. “We shouldn’t regard one another as enemies. We’re fellow Americans, and we should have vigorous debate, but it cannot lead to political violence. It’s just too much.”

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise told CBS the day after the shooting, “we cannot let what happened yesterday be the norm.”

“Unfortunately, we’ve seen politics degrading where some people feel if they disagree with you politically, they’ve got to try to go and eliminate those people,” Scalise said. “That is not what America is. You know, we solve our differences at the ballot box.”

North Carolina Republicans blame Democrats for ‘woke’ policies they say contributed to Charlotte light-rail stabbing

September 12, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(CHARLOTTE, N.C) — North Carolina Republicans are blaming Democrats’ “woke” policies and lenient crime enforcement for the fatal stabbing of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte, North Carolina, light-rail train. Meanwhile, former Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, is firing back, accusing Republicans of politicizing a tragedy.

Republican leaders in Charlotte held a joint news conference on Wednesday during which they condemned Democratic leaders’ “woke” policies and “ongoing failures” that they say contributed to Zarutska’s tragic death last month. Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, was arrested on Aug. 22 after police say he stabbed Zarutska three times while riding the Lynx Blue Line in Charlotte, according to an affidavit obtained by ABC News.

“Iryna Zaruska died because of the Democrat policies in Charlotte-Mecklenburg — woke politics that perpetuate cashless bail and refuse to prioritize public safety over appearances,” said Kyle Kirby, chairman of the Mecklenburg County Republican Party.

Chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party Jason Simmons claimed that “Democrats have chosen to side with criminals” — contributing to a “crime epidemic.” Simmons, without giving any specifics, listed Democrats’ “policies of appeasement” and their “weak on crime policies” as reasons leading to criminal activity in Charlotte and the country.

The 34-year-old suspect has a criminal record including larceny and breaking and entering charges. He also spent five years in prison for robbery with a dangerous weapon starting in 2015, according to the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction.

Democratic leaders have pushed back on the GOP’s portrayal of the killing as evidence of systemic Democratic failure.

Cooper, who is running for Senate in North Carolina in 2026, responded to Republicans’ attacks, appearing to accuse his opponent, former Republicans National Committee Chair Michael Whatley, of trying to score “political points.”

“The murder of Iryna Zarutska is a horrible tragedy and we must do everything we can to keep people safe,” he wrote in a Sept. 9 post on X.

“Only a cynical DC insider would think it’s acceptable to use her death for political points, especially one who supported cutting funding to law enforcement in NC,” Cooper said, appearing to reference Whatley.

Democratic Gov. Josh Stein said he is calling for more police enforcement to help prevent these kinds of crimes.

“We need more cops on the beat to keep people safe. That’s why my budget calls for more funding to hire more well-trained police officers,” Stein posted on X earlier this week.

“I call upon the legislature to pass my law enforcement recruitment and retention package to address vacancies in our state and local agencies so they can stop these horrific crimes and hold violent criminals accountable.”

Earlier this week, President Donald Trump weighed in on the stabbing, demanding Brown receive the death penalty.

Trump’s comments come amid his push to crack down on crime nationwide — including his federal law enforcement surge in Washington, D.C.

More than half of the overall public approves of Trump’s handling of crime, according to an AP-NORC poll conducted Aug. 21-25. However, there is a stark partisan divide between Republicans and Democrats, with 88% of Republicans approving of Trump’s handling of crime compared to 16% of Democrats.

With Brown’s impending court date set for later this month, Republicans are calling for the removal of Magistrate Judge Teresa Stokes, who lawmakers argue didn’t hold Brown accountable for his past alleged crimes.

North Carolina Rep. Tim Moore posted a letter written to Chief Judge Wiggins stating Stokes “authorized the release of Brown based solely on his ‘written promise’ to appear for a future court date.” The letter was signed by seven other North Carolina representatives.

Missouri lawmakers pass new congressional map that could help Republicans flip a House seat

September 12, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(MISSOURI) — The Missouri state Senate voted on Friday to pass the bill with a new congressional map that favors Republicans, sending it to Gov. Mike Kehoe’s desk and notching Republicans a second win in their efforts to redraw congressional maps to favor the GOP, although the maps are facing a new legal challenge as well.

The Missouri House of Representatives voted on Tuesday to pass the map. President Donald Trump had encouraged the state to redraw its congressional lines mid-decade, and Kehoe proposed a map in late August as what he said was a way to more fairly represent Missourians. The new map would likely allow Republicans to hold seven of Missouri’s eight congressional seats, of which Democrats currently hold two.

It is possible that implementing the map may be decided by voters, as opponents of the congressional map bill can try to gather enough signatures in most of the state’s congressional districts to force a statewide vote on the bill.

During hours of debate on Friday, which Republicans eventually shut down using a procedural move, Democrats continued to slam the new map as detrimental to voters – particularly for voters in Kansas City, Missouri, which would be split among multiple districts. One Republican said he would vote against the map because the Senate did not have enough time to look at the provisions in the bills it is considering.

Democratic state Sen. Barbara Washington, who represents part of Kansas City and is close with U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, whose seat is redrawn in the new map to be much more favorable to Republicans, alleged that the new map dilutes the political power of Black voters and hurts their communities.

“You don’t like our voice, so you’re trying to take it away. You don’t like our power, so you’re trying to dilute it. You don’t like our community strength, so you’re attempting to weaken it,” she said.

“We haven’t even had the opportunity to talk about why, the why behind the new map, the why behind Republicans deciding to erase Kansas City voters and to erase Kansas City values… in this map, Kansas City is erased,” Democratic state Sen. Maggie Nurrenbern said earlier.

One Republican Senator, state Sen. Mike Moon, said he would not support the congressional map, decrying the process in the Senate and how it seemed as if the bill was being pushed through because of pressure from Trump.

Addressing his constituents, Moon said that he is “probably alone as a Republican. I don’t know if someone else will join me in this,” and would vote no on the bills because the Senate has not debated and deliberated enough on parts of them. “It’s not because I don’t want Republican ideals to win the day,” he said, but because he’s not “a yes man.”

During a hearing on Thursday by the Missouri Senate’s Local Government, Elections and Pensions committee on the proposed new congressional map, Cleaver framed the new map as discriminatory and as fanning the flames of a mid-decade redistricting war.

“There’s already a plan for California to respond, then another state’s going to respond, then New York is going to respond, then another state’s going to respond, and then Maryland is going to respond,” Cleaver said.

“Democrats have said, you know, we’re going to fight fire with fire, and that’s exactly what’s going to happen. But I want to warn all of us, if you fight fire with fire long enough, all you’re going to have left is ashes.”

The congressional map is expected to be fought over in court. ABC affiliate KMIZ reported that voters in districts impacted by the map filed a lawsuit on Friday in the circuit court of Cole County, Missouri, asking for a judge to declare the map unconstitutional and to stop the Secretary of State from using the new districts in future elections.

ABC News’ Grace Sandman and Brittany Shepherd contributed to this report.

ICE officer fatally shoots man who resisted arrest, dragged agent with car: DHS

September 12, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(CHICAGO) — A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot a man who was resisting arrest and subsequently dragged the agent with his car, according an ICE spokesperson.

ICE officers were conducting a vehicle stop in a Chicago suburb on Friday morning when the suspect — identified by the Department of Homeland Security as Silverio Villegas-Gonzales — “resisted and attempted to drive his vehicle into the arrest team,” subsequently dragging the agent, ICE said.

DHS said the suspect dragged the ICE officer “a significant distance.”

“Fearing for his life, the officer discharged his firearm and struck the subject,” ICE said.

Both the officer and Villegas-Gonzales “immediately” received medical treatment and were transported to a local hospital.

The suspect was pronounced dead at the hospital, while the officer suffered serious injuries but is now in stable condition, ICE said.

“We are praying for the speedy recovery of our law enforcement officer. He followed his training, used appropriate force, and properly enforced the law to protect the public and law enforcement,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.

Villegas-Gonzales “entered the country at an unknown date and time” and has “a history of reckless driving,” DHS said in a press release.

ABC News’ Laura Romero contributed to this report.

Democrats set fight over health care as possible government shutdown looms

September 12, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — As the deadline to keep the government funded fast approaches at the end of the month, congressional Democrats are vowing a fight over health care, possibly forcing a shutdown unless Republicans agree to restore Medicaid cuts and extend Obamacare subsidies.

Passing a government funding bill to avoid a shutdown would require at least some Democrats to go along. While a Republican majority in the House could pass a measure without Democrats, success in the Senate would be require at least seven Democrats to vote to keep the government open.

As of now, though, negotiations between the Democrats and Republicans are dragging out before the Oct. 1 deadline, as both parties work to firm up their red lines.

A group of senior House and Senate Democrats met Thursday to game out a strategy on government funding — Democrats united in warning that Republicans must compromise on bipartisan legislation that not only protects but also restores health care funding – or Democrats won’t vote to avert a shutdown.

“We will not support a partisan spending agreement that continues to rip away health care from the American people, period, full stop,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Thursday.

“What the Republicans are proposing is not good enough for the American people and not good enough to get our votes,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer echoed. “The Republicans have to come to meet with us in a true bipartisan negotiation to satisfy the American people’s needs on health care. They won’t get our votes, plain and simple.”

A key focus for Democrats is an effort to use this upcoming government funding bill as an opportunity to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits set to expire at the end of the year. Those tax credits, which were signed into law by former President Joe Biden in 2022, expanded eligibility for the ACA and capped premiums.

Democrats also say they want Republicans to reverse course on cuts to Medicaid that came as part of the massive “One Big Beautiful Bill” that Republicans enacted without any Democratic support in June.

Notching any health care related concessions from Republicans could be something of a win for Democrats, who are looking to prove that they’re using this relatively rare moment of leverage to fight for Democratic priorities in a GOP-controlled Washington.

Many are signaling a willingness to dig in during this round of funding negotiations after many, including Schumer, got blowback from the Democratic base for delivering the votes to offset a March shutdown without securing any substantial GOP concessions.

But even though there is some willingness from Republicans to discuss extension of the ACA health credits, Senate Majority Leader John Thune dug in during an interview with Punchbowl News’ “Fly Out Day.”

He said he thinks Democrats “see it as politically advantageous to have a shutdown.”

“I think their base is clamoring for that. They want a fight with the Trump administration. But they don’t have a good reason to do it. And I don’t intend to give them a good reason to do it,” Thune said.

Thune is pushing for Congress to pass a short-term government funding bill with little or nothing attached. This bill, he said, will buy congressional appropriators more time to reach an agreement on full-year funding. But this is a non-starter for Democrats who say health care must be a part of the funding solution.

President Donald Trump on Friday also endorsed a short-term funding solution and suggested it could be accomplished without Democratic support. It’s not politically possible to fund the government without some Democratic buy-in unless Thune makes major changes to Senate rules, something he has vowed in the past not to do.

Trump said Republicans should plow ahead without consulting Democrats.

“We have to get Republican votes. That’s it. If we do, we have the majority,” Trump said.

Democrats, Trump said, wouldn’t vote for a funding bill even if “you gave them every dream.”

“I told them don’t even bother dealing with them, we will get it through because the Republicans are sticking together for the first time in a long time,” Trump said.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has said he does not want the government to shut down — acknowledging it will take Democratic cooperation to avert a shutdown. He has yet to divulge specifics on how Republicans plan to keep the lights on in Washington.

Johnson and Thune have not yet met with Schumer and Jeffries despite calls from the Democratic leader for such a meeting.

GOP Rep. Tom Cole, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said that Republican appropriators are aiming to pass a package of three bills alongside a continuing resolution that funds the government through late November.

“We wouldn’t do a CR that both sides didn’t agree to. I mean, we’re not trying to jam the Democrats on the CR. We’re trying to work with them,” Cole said – acknowledging that time is running short as he targets a deal by the end of next week.

There are only seven legislative days before the funding deadline due to the Jewish holidays — which presents a real scheduling challenge for lawmakers. Congress is out of town the entire week third week of this month. Lawmakers aren’t slated to return until Sept. 29, just two days before the shutdown deadline.

Cole hinted that leadership may need to add a few legislative days to the calendar after Rosh Hashana.

As Democrats push to extend Obamacare subsidies set to expire at the end of the year, Cole stressed that issue and debate is outside of his committee’s jurisdiction — though Johnson could hypothetically direct him to attach it to the CR.

“I think shutting down the government in a temper tantrum is not going to be helpful to the country,” Cole, R-Okla., said. “I don’t think it’s going to be good for them, either, but that’s up to them. I don’t get to make that call.”

Trump says he’ll send National Guard to Memphis to combat crime

September 12, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump said Friday that he will send National Guard troops to Memphis, Tennessee, as part of his push to combat crime.

The president said on “Fox & Friends” that he wanted to replicate the results of his deployment of the National Guard in Washington, D.C.

“Memphis is deeply troubled,” he said during the interview. “We’re going to fix that, just like we did in Washington.”

Trump said part of the crime crackdown could include federal forces, National Guard and even “the military, too,” if needed into Memphis.

“And anybody else we need,” Trump said of the forces he planned to send into Memphis.

Trump has said that local leaders across the country should ask for federal help and indicated that he has such backing from Tennessee officials.

“The mayor is happy. He’s a Democrat mayor, the mayor is happy. And the governor, Tennessee, the governor is happy,” he said.

Representatives for the Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s office and Democratic Memphis Mayor Paul Young’s office didn’t immediately return messages to ABC News for comment.

Memphis has seen a drop in crime over the last year, according to data from the city.

There have been 29,978 reported crime incidents in Memphis in 2025 as of Sept. 11, a roughly 44% drop from the same period in 2024 when there were 53,805 reported incidents, according to the data.

Homicides in the city dropped nearly 30% during the year with 182 reported incidents in 2025 so far compared to 261 during the same period last year, the data showed.

Trump’s comments on Friday come amid his push to crack down on crime nationwide — including his federal law enforcement surge in Washington, D.C.

However, before Trump began his deployment, the city had seen a two-year decline in crimes, according to police data. As of Friday, there have been 17,806 reported crime incidents in the city so far this year, compared to 19,501 during the same period last year — a nearly 8% drop, the data showed.

Washington, D.C., Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb filed a lawsuit last week that sought to end the D.C. Guard deployment arguing it was a “military occupation.”

Critics have noted that the president has focused his threats of federal deployments on cities that are led by Democratic mayors.

For the last few weeks, Trump has made threats that he was going to send National Guard troops to Chicago, citing its crime rate, and was met with vocal protests from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson.

“I want to help people, not hurt them,’ says the guy who just threatened an American city with the Department of War,” Pritzker wrote on X on Monday

The president continued to argue that federal intervention was needed in Chicago.

“You’re about to lose Chicago,” Trump said Friday. “I can fix Chicago, much bigger than D.C., but we can bring in the military. We can bring in the National Guard. We’ll do what we have to do.”

ABC News’ Oren Oppenheim contributed to this report.