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Florida Reporter Suspended After Texting MAGA Congressman After Kirk Shooting

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No room for this behavior…

A reporter with a popular Florida political website was immediately suspended after attempting to capitalize on the shooting of political activist Charlie Kirk.

The 31-year-old Turning Point USA founder was speaking at an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday when the shooting occurred. Video taken by students attending his speech shows Kirk appearing to have been shot in the neck after the sound of a single gunshot was heard. Kirk was later pronounced dead after being rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition.

Kirk was a popular figure in conservative media circles and a prominent supporter of President Donald Trump, encouraging the young voters in his organization to vote for Trump during his presidential campaigns and speaking at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last year.

News of the shooting stunned politicians and commentators on both sides of the aisle, who offered prayers for his family and condemnations of political violence.

Wednesday afternoon, after news of the shooting had spread but before it was known that Kirk had died, A.G. Gancarski, a reporter with the Florida Politics website, texted Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL), a Republican elected to Congress earlier this year in a special election.

According to a screenshot posted by Fine, Gancarski asked him “if Charlie Kirk getting shot affects your position on campus carry?”

“If gun control had been in play could the tragedy have been avoided?” Gancarski added.

“I learned that Charlie Kirk was shot 23 minutes ago. I am repulsed that you would even think to ask a political question when all anyone should be doing is praying for his survival,” Fine wrote back. “Never contact me again.”

Fine shared a screenshot of the texts on social media along with a caption that read, “You don’t hate the media enough.”

Less than an hour later, Peter Schorsch, the founder and publisher of Florida Politics, posted that he had “immediately suspended [Gancarski] from his position with [Florida Politics].”

Schorsch then noted that he had “urged [Gancarski] to go dark on social media for the time being while we address this situation,” and invited anyone with comments or questions to email him. Gancarski’s account on X has been set to private and is no longer publicly viewable.

Another X user posted a screenshot of a tweet Gancarski had purportedly sent to Fine before deleting it and locking down his account. In the screenshot, Gancarski replied to Fine that it was a “valid question” because Fine “ran a bill that would have allowed ‘campus carry’” as a state senator, but had left the legislature by the time of the April 17 shooting at Florida State University.

“I stand by the question,” Gancarski wrote. “Tragedy is ultimately what tests policy positions.”

Mediaite and other outlats have not yet confirmed the authenticity of this screenshot, but it does accurately display Gancarski’s username on X and most recent profile photo. Mediaite reached out to Schorsch for comment but did not receive a reply.

Screenshot via Mediaite

Report: Pro-Trump Conservative Charlie Kirk Shot

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Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Popular conservative activist Charlie Kirk was reportedly shot at an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah on Wednesday.

Bystanders report seeing Kirk shot near his neck during a Q&A with students.

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

Happening Today: Jury Selection Begins In Trump Assassination Attempt Case

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Fort Pierce, Fla. — Jury selection begins Monday in the federal trial of Ryan Routh, who prosecutors say plotted to assassinate former President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf club in September 2024. The process is expected to conclude by Wednesday.

Prospective jurors are being questioned under oath in Fort Pierce to determine whether they can serve impartially. Routh, who is representing himself, will directly question jurors alongside federal prosecutors — an unusual dynamic in the courtroom.

The case is being heard by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who denied a motion from Routh’s defense team seeking her recusal. A Trump appointee, Cannon was randomly assigned to the case.

Federal prosecutors allege Routh camped near Trump’s golf course for 12 hours with a rifle and aimed at a Secret Service agent before being forced to drop the weapon. Investigators later discovered a letter in which Routh expressed regret that he failed to kill Trump, as well as evidence he sought anti-aircraft weapons and surveillance of Trump’s flights weeks before his arrest.

Routh faces charges of attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, and multiple gun violations — crimes carrying potential life sentences. He has pleaded not guilty to both federal and related state charges.

A 12-member jury, plus alternates, will ultimately decide the case. Federal law requires a unanimous verdict for conviction.

Republican Lawmaker Gets Into Physical Altercation Outside US Capitol

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Ted Eytan from Washington, DC, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Things were heated on Capitol Hill this week…

Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) was caught in a run-in outside the Capitol on Thursday with a protester who challenged him over his stance on Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza.

The Republican reportedly shoved the man, who he later claimed had intentionally “bumped” into him after being approached near the Longworth House Office Building, according to Politico.

The incident occurred shortly after lawmakers wrapped up their final votes of the week.

Burchett’s spokesperson Will Garrett defended the congressman’s reaction in a comment to Politico, saying the protester had crossed a line.

“Everyone has a right to their opinion, and they can say all of the filthy stuff they want. But they don’t have the right to bump the congressman,” Burchett spokesperson Will Garrett said in a statement to The Hill

Capitol Police briefly detained and questioned the protester, though the department has not commented publicly.

Burchett, meanwhile, dismissed the confrontation with characteristic bite, telling reporters the activist “had bad breath.”

Last year, Burchett introduced a resolution to reject the United Nations’s decision to place the Israeli military on a list of child’s rights abusers.

“Israel is our greatest ally in the Middle East and their leadership tries to protect life. Hamas, on the other hand, hides behind innocent civilians like a bunch of cowards. We need to make it clear to the United Nations that the United States completely supports Israel’s efforts to wipe these terrorists off the map,” Burchett said at the time. 

Woman Who Admitted Trump Death Threats To Secret Service Released By Judge

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A woman arrested last month for allegedly making death threats against President Donald Trump has been released by a federal judge who has clashed with the Trump administration several times this year.

Federal Chief Judge James Boasberg ordered the release of 50-year-old Nathalie Rose Jones under electronic monitoring and instructed her to visit a psychiatrist in New York City once she obtains her personal belongings from a local police station.

Her release comes after U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya had ordered her held without bond, citing alarming conduct, including online posts proclaiming willingness to “disembowel” Trump and stage his arrest, and statements admitting she would kill him with a bladed weapon at “the compound.”

Jones took part in a “dignified arrest ceremony” for Trump at a protest in Washington, D.C., which circumnavigated the White House complex and was arrested following an investigation into her series of concerning Instagram and Facebook posts. 

In early August, Jones labeled Trump a terrorist, referred to his administration as a dictatorship, and stated that Trump had caused extreme and unnecessary loss of life in relation to the coronavirus

“I am willing to sacrificially kill this POTUS by disemboweling him and cutting out his trachea with Liz Cheney and all The Affirmation present,” an Aug. 6 post directed at the FBI states.

The next day, Jones voluntarily agreed to an interview with the Secret Service, during which she called Trump a “terrorist” and a “nazi,” authorities said. 

She said that if she had the opportunity, she would kill Trump at “the compound” if she had to and that she had a “bladed object,” which she said was the weapon she would use to “carry out her mission of killing” the president.

Following the protest in Washington, D.C on Aug. 16, Jones was interviewed again by the Secret Service, during which she admitted that she had made threats towards Trump during her interview the previous day. 

She was charged with threatening to kill, kidnap, or seriously hurt the president and sending messages across state lines that contained threats to kidnap or harm someone.

However, Jones’s lawyers argued their client was unarmed and had no real desire to follow through with the threats, appealed Upadhyaya’s detention decision, and Boasberg overturned Upadhyaya’s detention order.

U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., Jeanine Pirro, whose office pushed for the indictment, blasted the jury’s refusal on Tuesday.

“A Washington D.C. grand jury refused to indict someone who threatened to kill the President of the United States. Her intent was clear, traveling through five states to do so,” Pirro told Fox News in an exclusive statement. 

“She even confirmed the same to the U.S. Secret Service. This is the essence of a politicized jury. The system here is broken on many levels. Instead of the outrage that should be engendered by a specific threat to kill the president, the grand jury in D.C. refuses to even let the judicial process begin. Justice should not depend on politics,” Pirro added.

Judge Boasberg’s Background
Judge Boasberg, a Barack Obama appointee, has repeatedly clashed with the Trump administration. In March, he issued a restraining order halting deportations of Venezuelans under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, ordering planes to return to U.S. soil and demanding an investigation into compliance. He later threatened contempt proceedings, prompting appellate review and momentum that led to Supreme Court rulings affirming due‑process requirements. Trump publicly labeled Boasberg a “Radical Left Lunatic” and sought his impeachment. Additionally, Trump‑aligned officials, including AG Pam Bondi, filed a complaint over Boasberg’s remarks warning of a constitutional crisis and criticizing the administration—remarks Bondi argued had no factual basis and undermined judicial impartiality. (RELATED: DOJ Files Complaint Against Judge Boasberg Over Anti-Trump Comments, Deportation Case Actions)

Recent Assassination Attempts Targeting Donald Trump

1. Butler, Pennsylvania Rally — July 13, 2024

  • What happened: Former President Trump was addressed at a campaign rally near Butler, PA, when 20‑year‑old Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire from a nearby rooftop with an AR‑15‑style rifle. Trump was grazed in the upper right ear; one attendee, firefighter Corey Comperatore, was killed, and two others critically injured. Secret Service counter‑snipers neutralized Crooks seconds after he began firing.

Aftermath & investigations: A House task force released a report by December 2024. A Government Accountability Office audit (July 2025) found that the Secret Service failed to share vital threat intelligence internally, and suffered planning and communication breakdowns. Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley criticized entrenched mismanagement and cited funding under a recent bill to help rebuild the agency. Meanwhile, six Secret Service agents received suspensions—the longest up to 42 days—for their roles in the security failure. The agency has since overhauled protocols, including deploying drones and increasing law enforcement coordination.

2. West Palm Beach, Florida Golf Course — September 15, 2024

  • What happened: While golfing at his Trump International Golf Club, Trump was threatened by 59-year‑old Ryan Wesley Routh. The suspect was seen aiming a rifle from shrubbery. A Secret Service agent intervened, no shots were fired at Trump, and Routh fled but was later detained.
  • Legal proceedings: Routh faces federal charges including attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate. He remains in custody, and a federal trial is scheduled to begin September 8, 2025.

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Trump Announces Plan To Seek Death Penalty For D.C. Murders

President Trump said Tuesday the federal government would seek the death penalty for murders committed in Washington, D.C.

“Anybody murders something in the capital, capital punishment,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting Tuesday. “Capital, capital punishment. If somebody kills somebody in the capital, Washington, D.C., we’re going to be seeking the death penalty. And that’s a very strong preventative.”

The District of Columbia hasn’t executed anyone since 1957, after Robert Carter was convicted of fatally shooting an off-duty police officer.

CBS News reported that previously, D.C. had mandatory death sentences for first-degree murders, a policy the Supreme Court later voided in the 1972 case Furman v. Georgia when it found that the death penalty was being applied in an unconstitutionally arbitrary manner. Four years later, the high court allowed capital punishment to be reinstated with clearer sentencing guidelines. The D.C. City Council, however, abolished the death penalty in 1981. 

Washington went 12 days without a murder during the federal government’s crime crackdown, a streak broken early Tuesday with the killing of a 31-year-old man in Southeast D.C., according to the Metropolitan Police Department. 

Vice President JD Vance, a day earlier, said the capital typically averaged one murder every other day, before commending the president on saving 6-7 lives since deploying the National Guard

On his first day in office, the president signed an executive order directing the attorney general to seek the death penalty in cases involving the murder of a law enforcement officer or “a capital crime committed by an alien illegally present in this country.”

Speaker Johnson Says Trump Deserves Nobel Peace Prize For DC Police Takeover

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Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is calling for President Donald Trump to be recognized on the world stage after his decisive leadership brought unprecedented safety to the nation’s capital.

On Monday, Johnson said Trump deserves the Nobel Peace Prize following 11 straight days without a single reported murder in Washington, D.C. — a stunning turnaround after Trump took charge of the city’s police force.

“There are MANY reasons why President Trump deserves the Nobel Peace Prize – but 11 straight days with ZERO murders in Washington, D.C. might top the list,” Johnson posted on social media. “SAFER streets. STRONGER communities. AMERICA IS BACK!”

Trump Delivers Where Democrats Failed

The numbers come from the Metropolitan Police Department’s own preliminary data: from August 14 through August 24, not one homicide was reported in the city.

This sharp decline follows Trump’s August 11 takeover of D.C.’s police department, a bold move to re-establish law and order in a city long plagued by violent crime under Democrat leadership. Since Trump stepped in, only two killings have been reported — one on August 11, and another on August 13.

Critics may try to downplay the results, noting there was a 16-day stretch earlier this year without a murder, but it’s clear that Trump’s hands-on leadership and “law and order” agenda have already had a direct impact on restoring peace and safety to America’s capital.

A President Who Gets Results

President Trump has never hidden his desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize — and many argue he has already earned it for his historic Middle East peace agreements, his refusal to drag America into new foreign wars, and now, for bringing real results to America’s streets.

Even world leaders agree. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, recognizing Trump’s unmatched record of delivering peace and stability.

The Bottom Line

While Democrats and the mainstream media remain silent, the facts are clear: Trump’s leadership is saving lives. Speaker Johnson’s call for Trump to receive the Nobel Peace Prize isn’t just political theater — it reflects the reality that Trump’s America First agenda delivers real safety, real security, and real peace.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia Taken Into Custody By ICE

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Arrest image via Pixabay

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the immigrant deported to El Salvador who became a political flashpoint for the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, was detained again on Monday

Speaking to reporters outside the ICE Field Office in Baltimore after Abrego Garcia was detained, his lawyer, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, said ICE officials had declined to tell them where they were detaining Abrego Garcia prior to his removal, or tell them why they were arresting him. 

“As of the last five minutes, Mr. Abrego Garcia has filed a new lawsuit in the federal district court for the District of Maryland challenging his confinement and challenging his deportation to Uganda, or to any other country unless and until he’s had a fair trial— as in, an immigration court, as well as his full appeal rights,,” Sandoval-Moshenberg sad.

The habeas petition, filed in the U.S. District Court of Maryland, was assigned to U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, who has presided since March over his civil case.

Abrego Garcia, who fled El Salvador as a teenager and lived in Maryland, addressed supporters before entering his appointment.

“My name is Kilmar Abrego Garcia, and I want you to remember this, remember that I am free and I was able to be reunited with my family,” he said. “This was a miracle. Thank you to God and thank you to the community. I want to thank each and every one of you who marched, lift your voices, never stop praying, and continue to fight in my name.”

Abrego Garcia’s legal fight for months has dominated U.S. headlines, after he was deported by the Trump administration to El Salvador in violation of a 2019 court order. He faces a possible second deportation, this time to Uganda.

Shortly before his arrival Monday morning, immigration advocates, faith leaders, and other community members massed outside the field office at sunrise for a vigil, organized by two immigration advocacy groups.

The Trump administration returned him to the U.S. months after sending him to El Salvador, under orders from a federal judge and from the Supreme Court.

He was arrested upon return to the U.S. on human smuggling charges stemming from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennesee. He remained in federal detention until Friday, when he was released from U.S. custody and ordered to return to Maryland, where a judge said he could remain under electronic surveillance and under ICE supervision while awaiting trial.

ICE officials notified Abrego Garcia’s attorneys shortly after his release on Friday that they planned to deport him to Uganda.

The notice, sent by ICE’s Office of the Principal Legal Adviser, said it was intended to “serve as notice that DHS may remove your client, Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, to Uganda no earlier than 72 hours from now (absent weekends).”

Trump’s border czar Tom Homan told Fox News in an interview Sunday night that Abrego Garcia was “absolutely” going to be deported from the U.S, and said Uganda is “on the table” as the third country of removal. 

“We have an agreement with them. It’s on a table, absolutely,” Homan said in an interview on “The Big Weekend Show” Sunday evening.

“He is absolutely going to be deported,” Homan reiterated. 

For now, he said, Abrego Garcia “can enjoy the little time he has with his family. And for the person who says we’re not going to separate family, his family can go with him, because he’s leaving.”

Trump Administration Moves To Deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia – To Uganda

Gage Skidmore Flickr

New court filings reveal that the Trump administration is threatening to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Uganda — a move his attorneys describe as coercive. Abrego, a Salvadoran man mistakenly deported to El Salvador earlier this year, declined a plea deal tied to human smuggling charges. In response, prosecutors withdrew an offer that would have allowed him to enter Costa Rica — a safe, Spanish-speaking country where he’d face no detention after serving time — and instead pursued deportation to Uganda.

His attorneys argue immigration authorities are essentially offering a forced choice: accept guilt and a path to Costa Rica, or refuse and risk being sent to Uganda, where his safety — and legal protections — are uncertain at best.

As The Hill reports:

Federal prosecutors on Thursday offered Abrego Garcia the option to “live freely” with refugee or residency status in Costa Rica after serving prison time for federal human smuggling charges in exchange for a guilty plea, per his lawyers in the Saturday filings.

Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported to a notorious prison in his native El Salvador, declined the offer on Friday to instead return to his family in Maryland. He had been imprisoned in a Tennessee jail.

After his return to Maryland, Abrego Garcia’s attorneys were notified later in the day that he must report to an Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) field office in Baltimore on Monday — and that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) intends to deport him to Uganda.

“The only thing that happened between Thursday—Costa Rica—and Friday—Uganda— was Mr. Abrego’s exercise of his legal entitlement to release under the Bail Reform Act and the Fifth Amendment…,” Abrego Garcia’s defense team wrote.

Saturday’s revelations mark a significant escalation, as Uganda recently entered into a U.S. agreement to accept third-country deportees— but explicitly excluding individuals with criminal records or unaccompanied minors. Abrego’s legal team contends that his criminal charges make such deportation both inappropriate and potentially dangerous.

READ NEXT: Dem Forced To Eat Words After Defending Alleged Criminal

Trump Eyes Chicago In Crime Crackdown Expansion

President Donald Trump announced Friday that he plans to expand his crime crackdown strategy to Chicago, calling the city “a mess” and signaling more federal involvement in local law enforcement.

This move comes after the recent federal takeover of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department and the deployment of federal agents — including National Guard troops — across Washington, D.C., as part of the administration’s ongoing law-and-order agenda.

“After we do this will go to another location, and we’ll make it safe, also. We’re going to make our country very safe,” Trump said to reporters while seated at the Resolute desk. “We’re going to make our cities very, very safe. Chicago’s a mess.”

Unsurprisingly, progressive Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson isn’t on board. In recent weeks, he has fired back at Trump’s threats, touting a supposed drop in crime under his leadership. Johnson points to homicides being down more than 30% and shootings nearly 40% compared with last year.

He also warned that bringing in the National Guard would only make matters worse, calling it “destabilizing.” Johnson pointed to the Trump administration’s record, arguing that its $158 million cut to violence prevention funding created upheaval in underserved communities.

Gov. JB Pritzker — widely seen as a likely 2028 presidential contender — also pushed back, accusing Trump of making personal attacks and defending Illinois’ progressive approach to criminal justice reform.

Fox News continues:

During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump threatened to federalize D.C. because of the city’s struggle to control crime. The Aug. 3 attempted carjacking and brutal beating of a former Department of Government Efficiency staffer brought the issue back to the spotlight, sparking national debate. The following week, on Aug. 11, Trump declared a crime emergency in D.C., sparking the federal takeover.

“The city government’s failure to maintain public order and safety has had a dire impact on the federal government’s ability to operate efficiently to address the nation’s broader interests without fear of our workers being subjected to rampant violence,” Trump’s executive order read.

On Friday, Trump declared on Truth Social that D.C. was “safe again” and that it would soon “be great again.” He also praised law enforcement personnel for “doing a fantastic job.”

Under the Posse Comitatus Act and the 10th Amendment, the president can’t deploy federal or National Guard troops into a state without the governor’s approval — unless certain rare conditions are met. Without that consent, the move would almost certainly trigger a constitutional fight.

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