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Charlie Kirk killing: Suspect had ‘obsession’ with the conservative influencer, FBI says

September 15, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(Orem, UTAH) — The suspect arrested in the fatal shooting Charlie Kirk had an “obsession” with the conservative influencer, based on the alleged shooter’s digital footprint, FBI Co-Deputy Director Dan Bongino said Monday on Fox News.

Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old Utah native, is accused of fatally shooting Kirk during an event at Utah Valley University on Aug. 10.

Bongino said the suspect appeared to have exhibited “multiple warning signs.”

“I believe co-workers stated he had detached himself when the topic of politics came up and walked away,” Bongino said on Fox News.

Bongino said they are looking into whether anyone knew the shooting could happen and didn’t alert authorities, referring to online chats Robinson allegedly had about Kirk.

“Did they … hear it and think it was a joke? That is what we’re trying to find out now,” he told Fox News. “If there is a larger network here, we will get that out to the public as soon as we can.”

FBI Director Kash Patel also announced on “Fox & Friends” that DNA found at the crime scene, specifically the towel wrapped around the firearm used in the shooting, and on a screwdriver, links Robinson to the killing of the conservative influencer.

Robinson was arrested last week for felony discharge of a firearm, aggravated murder and obstruction of justice, according to probable cause documents, and was booked into the Utah County Jail.

Charging documents against Robison are expected to be filed early this week, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said on Friday.

Robinson was apprehended after his father recognized him in photographs released by authorities, Cox said on Friday. His father told Robinson to turn himself in, with the 22-year-old initially saying no, but later changing his mind, officials said.

The father then called a youth pastor, who is also a U.S. Marshals task force officer. The officer advised the father to have Robinson stay in place. This information was then conveyed to the FBI.

Cox thanked Robinson’s family, who “did the right thing.”

Investigators also interviewed a family member of Robinson who said the suspect had “become more political in recent years,” Cox said.

In a recent incident the family member detailed to investigators, Robinson came to dinner and in a conversation with another family member he mentioned Kirk was coming to Utah Valley University. They talked about why they didn’t like him and his viewpoints.

President Donald Trump, who announced Friday on “Fox & Friends” that the suspected shooter was in custody, said Robinson should get the death penalty.

“In Utah, you have death penalty, and a good governor there, I have gotten to know him,” Trump said of Cox. “The governor is intent on the death penalty in this case and he should be.”

Before the arrest of the alleged shooter, officials said they had obtained “good” video footage of the individual and were able to track the movements of the suspect.

On the day of the shooting at approximately 11:52 a.m., the suspect arrived on the Orem campus and then proceeded to travel through the stairwells up to the roof of the building near where the outdoor event was taking place, before the suspect fired down at Kirk, Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said last week.

Kirk was hit by a single shot at approximately 12:20 p.m. and taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, authorities said.

After the shooting, the suspect traveled to the other side of the building, jumped off and fled off-campus into a neighborhood, Mason said.

On Friday, Erika Kirk, the conservative commentator’s wife, said “no one will ever forget my husband’s name.”

“You have no idea the fire that you have ignited within this wife, the cries of this widow will echo around the world like a battle cry,” Erika Kirk said on Friday in her first public message since her husband’s death.

ABC News’ Luke Barr contributed to this report.

Here are the states banning cellphones in schools and what it means for students

September 15, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — While many states have at least partially banned cellphones in the classroom this back-to-school season, some are still leaving those decisions to their local education agencies, according to a new data analysis conducted by ABC News.

ABC News reached out to the education departments of every state, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico by email this summer to discuss the policies.

Overall, 20 states (including D.C. and the Virgin Islands) have completely banned wireless communication devices — including personal phones or tablets — for the entire instructional day. There are, however, exceptions for students with disabilities who have individualized education programs.

In contrast, 17 states — such as Maryland and Wyoming — that have not banned the use of wireless communication devices in schools on the state level.

The remaining 16 states have chosen a more relaxed approach, with some recommending the individual school districts decide their own policies, and others, like Puerto Rico, only requiring a policy to be formed by 2026.

The Department of Education is on a quest to return all education responsibilities and decisions to the states. It leaves cellphone guidance to the local level.

Cellphone usage continues to be one of the most contentious issues for education leaders. Education experts told ABC News that electronic devices stifle engagement, disrupt learning by causing distractions, and create adverse mental-health issues in adolescents.

Thomas Toch, the director of FutureEd — an education policy center at Georgetown University, said he believes using cellphones in schools is generally problematic with the harm outweighing the good.

“It’s a problem,” Toch argued. “We’re trying to get kids to engage, to immerse themselves in the subject at hand, to communicate with their peers, to be part of a learning community,” he said.

“There’s lots of research to suggest that [phones] are very detrimental to students’ levels of concentration and undermine, for those reasons and others, their learning,” Toch added.

‘Even worse after COVID’

The modern smartphone debuted in 2007 — nearly 20 years ago — but school cellphone issues were exacerbated over the last few years, according to educators who spoke to ABC News.

When students returned to the classroom after the COVID-19 pandemic, they brought back their phones, according to Vermont’s Harwood Union Middle and High School Assistant Principal Jessica Deane. She said phones in school have been a problem since their invention, and emphasized that the problem has never been more prominent than since the pandemic.

“I’ve been asking students to put their phones away since 2005,” Deane told ABC News. “It seemed even worse, coming back after COVID.”

Teachers across the country, such as Julia Casey in Missouri, said the new ban has made her job more manageable because she doesn’t have to police students.

“I don’t have to, like, correct that behavior,” Casey said, adding that the ban has helped students “stay on task a lot more.”

‘Bell-to-bell’

The most strict cellphone measures include implementing a “bell-to-bell” school-day ban for this academic year. The bans are mandated in places such as Arkansas, Texas, Virginia and more.

The states require phones be stored separate and away from students.

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek signed an executive order banning phones in her state, too.

“This will help improve focus, mental health and safety — so every student can learn and thrive without distractions,” Kotek said in a recent post on X.

New York City Public Schools, the nation’s largest school district, also has a bell-to-bell policy in place for its nearly one million students, but the schools will be required to provide at least one method for families to reach their children during the school day in the case of an emergency.

In Kansas, the state board of education commissioned a task force — consisting of parents, educators and students — on student screen time, which found that its schools should limit cellphone use, with some school going with a bell-to-bell ban.

“We wanted the local school districts to have that control,” Kansas Commissioner of Education Randy Watson told ABC News. “What we have found is that most school districts in Kansas are implementing a bell-to-bell ban.”

Emergency situations

One of the top concerns for parents and families is their ability to contact their children in case of an emergency.

School safety is the No. 1 priority for educators, according to interviews with city leaders and education officials, especially with the influence of recent school shootings.

For communication purposes, phones can be valuable tools for students during the school day, according to Toch.

“There could be instances where kids don’t … have a way to communicate with family members — or don’t have an ability to communicate a problem that they see and that they might want to use their phone to alert others to,” Toch told ABC News.

Celebrating Washington, D.C.’s bell-to-bell policy, D.C. Schools Chancellor Lewis Ferebee argued that if there’s an emergency “the last thing we want students to do is to be on their cellphone.”

“We want them to be focused on the guidance and direction that they will be receiving from adults in the situation,” he said.

Kansas Commissioner Watson said any school incident is tragic, but he claimed there was “no evidence” to suggest having cellphones helps in the case of an emergency, according to his conversations with law enforcement.

In his state, Watson said districts are making their own choices and it’s paying off for the students.

“Kids are more engaged,” Watson explained.

“Kids are happier. There’s less bullying that takes place. There’s less distractions academically. That daily behavior goes on and on.”

Utah man arrested after explosive device found under news media vehicle

September 15, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — A Utah man is facing terrorism charges after being arrested for placing an incendiary device under a news media vehicle in Salt Lake City, according to authorities.

Adeeb Nasir, 58, of Magna, Utah, was arrested Sunday on suspicion of placing the explosive device, which was lit but “failed to function,” according to police.

On Friday, Salt Lake City Police Bomb Squad and Unified Fire Authority Arson/Bomb Squad responded to a suspicious device placed underneath a news media vehicle parked next to an occupied building, which was found to be real.

Nasir faces nine charges, including two counts of weapon of mass destruction and two counts of threat of terrorism.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) assumed primary jurisdiction over the investigation and served a federal search warrant at the residence on Saturday with the help of local authorities’ bomb squads.

“The FBI discovered what appeared to be potentially hazardous materials that could pose a threat to public safety,” the FBI said in a statement to ABC News.

After the FBI’s initial investigation, two suspects were associated with the incident and both resided at the same residence where the search warrant was served.

The second individual was listed as Adil in Nasir’s probable cause summary, and arrest documents have not been found at this time. The relationship of the two individuals has not been released.

“The initial FBI search warrant authorized the seizure of evidence specifically related to the incendiary devices,” documents said.

Squad members cleared the home and found two hoax weapons of mass destruction inside, along with two firearms and illegal narcotics.

Neighboring homes were evacuated during the search due to the explosives found.

There was no information about a possible motive.

Nasir was booked into Salt Lake County Jail and ordered to be held without bail, according to documents.

North Korea nuclear weapons status ‘irreversible,’ state says, as US-Japan-South Korea drills begin

September 15, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — North Korean officials on Monday said the country’s status as nuclear state “has become irreversible,” despite efforts by the West to negotiate an end to the production of those weapons, according to state media.

“The position of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea as a nuclear weapons state which has been permanently specified in the supreme and basic law of the state has become irreversible,” North Korea’s Permanent Mission to the U.N. said in a press statement, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

The International Atomic Energy Agency, the intergovernmental body for nuclear cooperation, has no “legal right and moral justification” to interfere with what North Korea consider an “internal affair,” the mission’s press statement said.

The statement on Monday was one of several anti-U.S. messages issued by North Korea that coincided with the launch of Freedom Edge 25, a joint military exercise being held by the United States, South Korea and Japan, off South Korea’s Jeju Island. Those drills are scheduled to run through Sept. 19.

North Korea’s Pak Jong Chon, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, said on Sunday that those drills “pose a grave challenge to the security interests of our state and a major danger of undermining regional stability and escalating military tension,” according to state media.

The secretive state on Monday accused the United States of violating its own stated obligation of preventing nuclear proliferation “while concentrating more than anyone else on nuclear power buildup.”

“The U.S. has gone to extremes in its nuclear threat as days go by and the U.S.-led nuclear alliance is getting desperate in its confrontational moves,” the North Korean officials said on Monday.

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi earlier this month pointed to North Korea’s nuclear development programs as “clear violations” of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

He said his agency nonetheless “continues to maintain its enhanced readiness to play its essential role in verifying the DPRK’s nuclear program.”

Fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk puts Utah Valley University’s security under scrutiny

September 15, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk has put Utah Valley University (UVU) under scrutiny as security experts said the location of the stage for the outdoor event where the conservative commentator was targeted was particularly vulnerable, and questioned why no metal detectors were in place and bags seemingly were not checked.

More than 3,000 people were on hand Wednesday as the 31-year-old Kirk, CEO and co-founder of the conservative grassroots organization Turning Point USA, spoke in an open-air courtyard on the Orem, Utah, campus, which is at the bottom of a bowl-shaped area surrounded by buildings, law enforcement officials said.

A gunman fired the deadly shot at Kirk with a high-powered bolt-action rifle from the rooftop of a campus building a substantial distance from where Kirk was speaking, hitting him in the throat, officials said.

The suspect in the shooting, identified as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was arrested on Friday night after his father recognized him from surveillance images and video released by investigators, authorities said.

“This is a police chief’s nightmare,” Chief Jeff Long of the Utah Valley University campus police department said at a news conference on Wednesday.

Witnesses told ABC News that the event was not just open to the students on campus, but to the general public as well.

Long said he worked with Kirk’s private security team to establish security protocols for the event, which was the first stop on a nationwide tour of college campuses Kirk launched, called The American Comeback Tour.

“We worked together. He has his team and they do this all over the country. We all know that. It’s not uncommon for them. They’re very comfortable on campuses. And I was coordinating with his lead security guy,” Long said.

Turning Point USA did not respond to an ABC News request for comment.

Long said six campus police officers were working the event, including some in plainclothes who were monitoring the crowd.

“We train for these things, and you think you have things covered, and these things, unfortunately, they happen,” Long said. “You try to get your bases covered and, unfortunately, today [Wednesday] we didn’t. Because of that, we have this tragic incident.”

But multiple witnesses who attended the event told ABC News there seemed to be little to no security at all.

“We walked in, we were kind of surprised because there was like no security check. They didn’t check us for IDs. They didn’t pat us down. You just walked in,” Jasmine Martinez, a mother of five, told ABC News on Thursday.

Justin Hicken, who also attended the event, said he, too, was surprised by the seeming lack of security.

“I just followed the crowd into some of the campus buildings and … once you made your way through the campus buildings, it opens up into a courtyard where the stage or the amphitheater drops down like a pit,” Hicken told ABC News, adding that he also was not scrutinized by any security when he arrived at the free event.

He said that while the crowd was mostly comprised of college-aged people, “There were people of all ages there.”

“There were elderly people with walkers, there were children, there were families. It was a big group,” Hicken said. “I would say it was probably about 97% or 98% pro-Charlie. There were a few people you could tell were in opposition to him being there but for the most part, it was a very pro-Charlie crowd.”

Before the event, an online petition was circulated asking school officials to prevent Kirk from speaking on the UVU campus. The petition stated in part that “Charlie Kirk is known for his divisive rhetoric that often supports policies and laws which aren’t inclusive and can marginalize various communities.” The petition gathered more than 900 signatures.

“We affirm our commitment to free speech, intellectual inquiry, and constructive dialogue,” the university said in a Sept. 3 statement in response to the petition. “The university respects the rights of student clubs and organizations to invite various speakers to campus. As a public institution, UVU upholds First Amendment rights and fosters an environment where ideas – popular or controversial – can be exchanged freely, energetically, and civilly.”

However, Don Mihalek, a retired senior special agent for the U.S. Secret Service and an ABC News contributor, questioned the location of the stage with roofs of buildings surrounding the area where Kirk was shot, given that President Donald Trump was shot at a July 13, 2024, campaign rally at an outdoor venue in Butler, Pennsylvania, by a man who fired from rooftop 400 feet from where Trump was speaking.

Investigators said the gunman who shot Kirk fired an older model imported Mauser .30-06 caliber bolt-action rifle from the roof of a building and appeared to have a clear line of sight to where Kirk was seated under a shade canopy more than 100 yards away.

“The location of the event was in the middle of a college quad, it sounds like, which was surrounded by tall buildings, which present line-of-sight issues,” Mihalek said.

Mihalek added, “In my view, in this day and age, you can’t not do proper advanced planning for an event, especially an outdoor event, and take into account all the standard security measures for an event.”

Mihalek said pre-planning for possible security issues, including access control to the event, line-of-sight issues and monitoring of the crowd, “all has to be baked into the event planning process.”

Robert Boyce, the retired chief of detectives for the New York Police Department and an ABC News contributor, said that from a security standpoint, the outdoor venue should have never been chosen for an event featuring such a controversial speaker.

Boyce further said that the venue for the event shouldn’t have been outdoors.

“For a controversial person speaking in any way, with any kind of petition, any outside threats we don’t know right now, you really can’t have it outside,” Boyce said. “You have to have a door to control and that’s important, especially in these times. We’re really at a different point in our history that’s really hard to believe. But you want to control that door. This way, you know who’s inside and you can walk around and see and identify anybody who’s acting out of sorts.”

Boyce also questioned why the event was opened to the general public.

“It’s inexplicable to me why a university would let outside people come in and watch this on their campus, and that has to be answered,” Boyce said.

In response to the questions raised about the security plan for the event, a university spokesperson told ABC News, “I’m not able to answer those specifics at this time.”

The university spokesperson directed ABC News to a page on the school’s website answering some frequently asked questions about the Charlie Kirk event. Under the question “What security measures were taken?” the website states “Kirk’s lead security staff coordinated with UVU Police Chief Jeff Long regarding the security measures,” echoing Chief Long’s statement during the Sept. 10 news conference.

The website page also said that Kirk had previously visited the school with Turning Point USA in 2019.

The Utah Board of Higher Education – the governing body for the Utah System of Higher Education, which is comprised of 16 public colleges and universities, including UVU – issued a statement last week, saying it will “continue working with state leaders to identify ways to keep our campuses safe and welcoming for everyone.”

The statement added, “We believe strongly that Utah’s campuses must remain places where individuals can share and debate differing viewpoints openly and respectfully. Attempts to diminish that freedom have no place here and we will continue working to ensure our students, faculty and visitors feel safe to express themselves.”

Suspect in shooting of Georgia officer in custody after manhunt

September 14, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) –The man suspected of shooting and critically wounding a police officer in northern Georgia on Friday night has been taken into custody after an hourslong manhunt, officials announced.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said 26-year-old Timothy Craig Ramsey was taken into custody at about 6 p.m. Saturday.

Authorities did not provide any other details about the arrest.

Ramsey is alleged to have shot McCaysville Police Capt. Brantley Worley after officers were called to a report of a suspicious person, according to ABC Atlanta affiliate WSB.

Ramsey ran from the scene wearing a “bright green chemical-resistant type suit,” the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in a post on X.

Worley, a 3-year veteran of the department, was airlifted to a hospital in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in critical condition, according to WSB.

“Marty, the girls, and I are asking all Georgians to join us in praying for this officer who was shot in the line of duty, as well as all law enforcement who face this kind of danger on a regular basis to protect their communities,” Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said in a statement Saturday.

McCaysville is a city of about 1,200 residents along Georgia’s border with Tennessee.

Utah governor says alleged Kirk shooter not cooperating with authorities

September 14, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Gov. Spencer Cox, R-Utah, said Sunday that the suspect in the shooting that killed conservative activist Charlie Kirk is not cooperating with authorities.

“He has not confessed to, to authorities. He is, he is, he is not cooperating, but, but, but all the people around him are cooperating. And I think that’s, that’s, that’s very important,” Cox told ABC News’ “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz.

Authorities identified Kirk’s alleged shooter as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, who now remains in custody. Charges are expected to be formally filed on Tuesday, Cox said.

Cox was also asked about a Sunday New York Times report that alleged Robinson had communicated with others on Discord after the shooting. The Times reported Robinson had made jokes about being the alleged gunman.

ABC News has not independently confirmed the Discord messages.

“All we can confirm is that those conversations definitely were happening, and they did not believe it was actually him. It was, it was all joking until, until he, you know, until he admitted that it actually was him,” he said.

The Utah governor, who has been the public face of the investigation, also addressed reports Saturday that the suspect’s roommate is transitioning from male to female.

Cox previously told the Wall Street Journal that Robinson was “deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology.” Asked if investigators have uncovered evidence to show that, Cox replied, “Well, so far that — that has come from his acquaintance and his family members. That’s where that initial information has come from. Certainly, there will be much more information that is released in the charging documents as they’re bringing all of that together.”

Cox said there will be “much, much more information” revealed in the coming days when charges are filed. The governor urged Americans to choose kindness in a time of high political tension.

“These are very tragic circumstances that impact all of us,” Cox said.

Here are more highlights from Cox’s interview and those with Gov. Jared Polis, D-Colo., and Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah:

On Trump not talking about political violence against Democrats
Raddatz: President Trump said nothing about the political violence against Democrats. In fact, he blamed the radical left. What’s your reaction to that? Is that something you think he should be doing?

Cox: Well, look, President Trump is very angry and, Charlie is his close personal friend. There is a lot of anger, a lot of anger on the right, on my side of the aisle. And I’ve certainly felt that. And in this case, it does appear that that’s true. Again, more, more information is coming and we’ll learn more over time.

You know, I don’t know that that that matters as much as the the radicalization piece. I brought up the, the Democrats who were assassinated recently. And how quickly we move on from these things. But, but the body count is, is piling up. And so I’m so concerned about this radicalization piece. And that’s what we’re trying to understand. Again, this person made a choice, and it was this person’s choice. And this person will be held responsible.

Cox on how to get out of the ‘dark place’ the country is in
Cox: Right now, we’re in a dark place. Everybody gets that, I think, and we have choices and we in my political philosophy and my, and my religious philosophy, we believe in agency, that every one of us gets to make our own decisions … Every one of us has to make a decision. Are we going to hate our neighbor? Are we going to hate the other side? Are we going to return violence with violence? Or are we going to find a different path? Are we going to get out of those social media, those dark places of the internet where the conflict entrepreneurs reside, who are praying upon us, these, these companies with trillion dollar market caps who are using dopamine just like fentanyl, to addict us to their product and, and lead us again — those algorithms — lead us to more outrage. Can we put that aside? Can we go and serve our fellow human beings? Can we do some good in our neighborhood? Can we hug a family member? Can we talk to a neighbor that we disagree with? That’s, that’s up to us. And that’s the only way out of this. There is nothing else we can do to, to solve this, this dark chapter in our history.

Polis on the country’s political division
Raddatz: How did we get to these moments?

Polis: I think, as Governor Cox said, it really is an important reflection point. Violence in political theater, in our schools, on college campuses, is unacceptable. It’s fine, and we should even celebrate, having different opinions on things, right? Charlie Kirk’s catchphrase, “prove me wrong,” encouraging peaceful debate, discussion.

But it’s wrong to resort to violence and killing. And I think that’s a message we need to reemphasize in this age when sometimes there’s to many conflicting messages out there. We need to speak unequivocally, celebrate our differences. They should lead to discussion, not violence.

Curtis on the pervasiveness of political violence
Curtis: If it were up to me, I think you need to take the word “radical” and remove “right” or “left,” and radical coming from any direction is not good, it’s not healthy, and it should be called out. And that’s, that’s my mission, is to say, look, this to me, this is this is not right. This is not left. We’re talking about radicals, and that’s where we need to put our attention…

Raddatz: Senator, how do you think we got to this point in this country with so much political violence?

Curtis: You know, I was — you mentioned I live not far from the university. I was mayor of Provo, Utah, right next to it. I know you know where that is. That was just a decade ago, and it wasn’t like this.

And I think a number of things have come along. I don’t think COVID helped. I think — we have to look really hard. I mentioned social media before. I think we have to look really hard at what’s just occupying nearly 100% of brain weight of not just the youth, but of all generations, and what’s coming across, and actually what we’re allowing to come across, and there’s just zero liability for what people are putting out there. And I just think that’s if we’re going to fix this, we have to look really hard at that.

College Democrats and Republicans send unified messages after Kirk’s death

September 14, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(STANFORD, Calif.) — Some college chapters of the Democratic and Republican parties are trying to turn down the temperature on discourse surrounding Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk’s assassination, as several groups across the country issued joint statements condemning the attack and calling for non-violence.

One of the first examples came from Rhode Island, where the Rhode Island Young Republicans and Rhode Island Young Democrats issued a rare joint statement on Wednesday evening.

“We may disagree on policy, but we are united in our belief in the value of life, civil discourse, and mutual respect,” said Ken Naylor, chairman of the Young Republicans. Anthony Cherry, vice president of the Young Democrats, added that young leaders must “make political nonviolence our pledge,” warning that “when our dialogue becomes toxic it has unimaginable consequences.”

In a phone interview, Naylor told ABC News that Kirk’s death “hit home with a lot of activists” who came of age watching his videos and campus debates. He said he immediately called up the leaders of the Democratic group and they agreed to put out a statement together.

“All of us believe that if you’re independent, Republican or Democrat there’s no reason for this to be happening. In this country we have the right to express ourselves and nobody should be silenced,” he said.

That message soon echoed across the country.

The Ohio College Republican Federation and College Democrats of Ohio released a joint statement on Thursday, rejecting “political violence in all its forms” and calling the killing “unacceptable,” writing that “violence undermines the very foundations of our republic” and urging students to “foster a culture where disagreement never escalates to harm.”

At The Ohio State University, the OSU College Democrats and OSU College Republicans issued their own joint statement on Wednesday, warning that political violence “erodes trust in our institutions” and “threatens the very foundations of civil discourse.” They said college campuses should remain “institutions of education and free speech” and affirmed their commitment to making OSU “a place where students feel safe to express their opinions, regardless of their political affiliation.”

The College Democrats at the University of Utah condemned the killing on Wednesday evening and offered condolences to Kirk’s family and to the students who witnessed it. Their statement said the tragedy “underscores the need to address the epidemic of gun violence in the U.S.” while also affirming the right of all Americans “to engage in civil dialogue without fear of violence.”

At Georgetown University, the Georgetown Bipartisan Coalition, Georgetown University College Democrats, and Georgetown University College Republicans Thursday said violent attacks “inject poison into the very heart of political dialogue” and urged Hoyas of all ideologies to “foster an environment of respect” and reject all forms of aggression. They emphasized that “the right to express one’s political beliefs without fear for one’s personal safety — particularly on college campuses — is fundamental to American life and a key component to a healthy, fully functioning democracy.”

Rubio and Netanyahu meet in Israel to discuss Hamas war, Gaza City operation

September 14, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived on Sunday morning in Israel, where he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the war in Gaza.

“My focus will be on securing the return of hostages, finding ways to make sure humanitarian aid reaches civilians, and addressing the threat posed by Hamas,” Rubio said on social media ahead of his flight to Israel.

He added, “Hamas cannot continue to exist if peace in the region is the goal.”

The secretary and his wife, Jeanette Dousdebes Rubio, were greeted upon arrival at Ben Gurion airport by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and his wife, Janet Huckabee.

Rubio later met one-on-one with Netanyahu before the two visited the Western Wall in Jerusalem, also called the the “Wailing Wall,” one of the world’s most significant religious sites for the Jewish people. While there, Netanyahu said he and Rubio “buried a note among the stones.”

Rubio and Netanyahu toured the archaeological site along with Netanyahu’s wife, Sara, Rubio’s wife, and Huckabee and his wife.

“I think his visit here is a testament to the resilience and strength of the American-Israeli alliance, which is as durable and strong as the stones of the Western Wall that we just touched,” Netanyahu said of Rubio’s visit.

Netanyahu and Rubio, according to the prime minster’s statement, offered a joint prayer for the safety of the hostages, as well as a special prayer honoring President Donald Trump, whom Netanyahu described as “a true friend of the Jewish people and the State of Israel.”

“Under President Trump, Secretary Rubio and their entire team, this alliance has never been stronger, and we appreciate it very much,” Netanyahu’s statement said. “Not only on behalf of the people of Israel today, but also on behalf of the generations of Jews who came before us, in the hope that we will rebuild our country with friends like you. Thank you, Marco.”

During his meetings with Netanyahu and other Israeli officials, Rubio is expected to “convey America’s priorities in the Israel-Hamas conflict and broader issues concerning Middle Eastern security, reaffirming U.S. commitment to Israeli security,” according to the U.S. State Department.

Netanyahu and Rubio are also expected to discuss the planned Israeli operation to seize control of Gaza City, the largest city in the Gaza Strip, the State Department said.

Israel last week issued an order calling for residents of the city to evacuate, saying the Israeli military would operate “with great force” within the city.

Manhunt underway after officer shot, critically injured in north Georgia

September 13, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — A manhunt is underway in Georgia after a suspect shot an officer late Friday night, according to officials.

Police said they’re searching for 26-year-old Timothy Craig Ramsey who is alleged to have shot McCaysville Police Captain Brantley Worley.

Ramsey is described by police as a white male, 5 foot 11 inches who weighs around 185 pounds and has long brown hair and blue eyes.

“Ramsey is considered armed and dangerous. If you see him or see any suspicious activity, please take immediate precautions and notify 911.If you have any information on the whereabouts of this dangerous suspect, please contact 911 or the Georgia Bureau of Investigation by calling 1-800-597-TIPS(8477),” the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in a statement.

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