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Verdict Reached In Attempted Trump Assassination Trial

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Just in…

A jury has reportedly reached a verdict in the trial of Ryan Routh, the man accused of attempting to assassinate then-candidate Trump on his golf course.

Routh was found guilty on all charges. Routh attempted to stab himself in the neck with a pen after learning the verdict. Multiple court marshals were needed to de-escalate the situation and temporarily removed Routh from the courtroom.

The case was 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 alleged 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 was found guilty of the attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, and multiple gun violations — crimes carrying potential life sentences.

Routh faces up to life in prison. Routh pleaded not guilty to all charges.

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

FBI Arrests ‘Anti-Trump’ Gunman Who Shot ABC Studio After Kimmel Suspension

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The FBI arrested the “anti-Trump” gunman who fired three shots into a local ABC studio after late-night host Jimmy Kimmel was suspended last week just hours after he posted bail in California.

FBI Director Kash Patel on Monday morning posted on X that Hernandez-Santana was taken into custody “under a federal hold for interference with licensed broadcasts.”

He added: “Targeted acts of violence are unacceptable and will be pursued to the fullest extent of the law.”

Anibal Hernandez-Santana, the 64-year old suspected shooter, was arrested by the FBI on Saturday, one day after he opened fired on ABC 10 in Sacramento in a drive-by shooting. Hernandez-Santana had posted $200,000 bail earlier on Saturday before he was arrested by the FBI for “violating a statute that says no one can interfere with any communication of any station licensed by the U.S. Government,” KCRA 3 reporter Peyton Headlee reported on Sunday.

The suspect is now facing federal charges and is ineligible for bail, according to Mediaite.

The suspect is now facing federal charges and is ineligible for bail.

Variety, over the weekend, reported Hernandez-Santana’s X account contained “a steady stream of anti-Trump commentary.”

“Where is a good heart attack when we need it the most?? Please Join in my thoughts and prayers for the physical demise of our fearful leader,” Hernandez-Santana posted last Thursday.

His attorney, Mark Reichel, told KCRA 3 that Hernandez-Santana is being overly scrutinized because of his anti-Trump posts.

“If you look at his social media, they’re going to say, ‘Boy, it sure shows that he’s liberal and left wing.’ So you think they’re going to overlook something like that? I don’t think so,” Reichel said.

The shooting happened during the early hours of Sept. 19, a day after a protest was held in front of ABC 10 following Kimmel’s suspension. About 15 people showed up for the protest, the Sacramento Bee reported.

Kimmel had his show pulled after he implied the person who shot Charlie Kirk was a Trump supporter.

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

Report: Trump Expected To Fire U.S. Attorney

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

President Donald Trump is expected to fire the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia after his office was unable to find incriminating evidence of mortgage fraud against New York Attorney General Letitia James, according to sources. 

Federal prosecutors in Virginia had uncovered no clear evidence to prove that James had knowingly committed mortgage fraud when she purchased a home in the state in 2023, ABC News first reported earlier this week, but Trump officials pushed U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert to nevertheless bring criminal charges against her, according to sources.

Alec Perkins from Hoboken, USA, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The president has reportedly been leaning on federal prosecutors to bring charges against James for alleged mortgage fraud. She has been accused of falsely claiming her house in Virginia as her primary residence despite being legally required to live in New York as an elected official there.

ABC News reported on Wednesday that Siebert, who is the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, was having difficulty finding enough evidence to sustain a conviction against James. On Thursday, the outlet said Trump is expected to fire the prosecutor.

“Administration officials have told Siebert of Trump’s intention to fire him, sources familiar with the matter said,” ABC News stated. “Siebert’s last day on the job is expected to be Friday.”

Trump nominated Siebert for the job in May.

“The decision to fire Siebert could throw into crisis one of the most prominent U.S. attorney’s offices, which handles a bulk of the country’s espionage and terrorism cases, and heighten concerns about Trump’s alleged use of the DOJ to target his political adversaries,” ABC News stated.

In May, the FBI opened an investigation into the notorious prosecutor. James has denied wrongdoing and called the investigation politically motivated, pointing to her office’s civil fraud case against Trump. That case ultimately resulted in a $354 million judgment against the president, which also bars his

During her 2018 campaign for attorney general, James publicly stated she intended to pursue legal action against Trump and investigate his business dealings in New York.

While campaigning, James vowed to shine a “bright light into every corner” of Trump’s “real estate dealings.” Her critics — including Trump himself — would later argue that her civil lawsuit against him was a political witch hunt.

In announcing the probe, US Attorney John A. Sarcone III took a swipe at James’s 2018 campaign rhetoric about investigating President Donald Trump.

The US attorney said James “unethically ran around the state campaigning on getting Donald Trump,” and essentially accused her of finding a criminal target without an alleged crime.

He added:

We stand prepared to act in the capacity that we need to when and if we are informed there’s a charge to be made. Unlike Letitia James, who unethically ran around the state campaigning on getting Donald Trump… my office conducts itself in a manner that is proper and professional.

Police Arrest Man For Disturbing Act At Charlie Kirk Memorial

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Arrest image via Pixabay

A sick individual…

Law enforcement authorities arrested a man for desecrating a memorial honoring the late political activist Charlie Kirk over the weekend.

Fox News cameras were rolling as the man walked through the memorial, kicking over items including flowers, vases and flags. A mourner gathered at the memorial stepped in to stop the man’s sick actions. A man in a blue polo shirt is seen yanking the man out of the memorial and throwing him to the ground. 

Phoenix police identified the alleged vandal as 19-year-old Ryder Corral. In video of Corral’s arrest, he appears to be wearing a shirt similar to the one worn by the man suspected of assassinating Kirk. 

Watch:

Corral was wearing a black shirt featuring an American flag and an eagle. The shirt resembles the shirt worn by Tyler Robinson when he allegedly shot and killed Kirk while he was speaking at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. 

Police also reported that neither Corral nor any of the witnesses who held him on the scene had sustained any injuries — and that the 19-year-old would face multiple charges, including “criminal damage and disorderly conduct.”

Local law enforcement then escorted Corral away from the area. He is now in custody at the Maricopa County Jail on one count of criminal damage and one count of disorderly conduct, according to Phoenix Police Department Public Information Sergeant Philip Krynsky.

On Friday, law enforcement officials arrested the man accused of shooting and killing Kirk, in Utah after a frantic 33-hour manhunt. 

Kirk, a husband and father, was fatally struck by a single bullet Wednesday while speaking at an event on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem. Kirk was rushed to Timpanogos Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He was 31 years old.

President Donald Trump said the young man who shot and killed Kirk had been “totally radicalized” and made “crazy” by liberal ideology, and also expressed sympathy for the suspect assassin’s parents, saying they seemed like “very nice people.”

The president’s comments were made while addressing a small crowd at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey on Saturday evening.

“So many things have been learned about [the shooter] so quickly,” Trump. said. “He’s become totally radicalized and crazy and it must have been traumatic. Because the parents are conservative people, supposed to be very nice people living in Utah.”

Trump continued: “The father turns in the son. Boy, that’s a tough deal.”

Additional information about Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old suspected killer, has been reported over the weekend.

Fox News and other outlets on Saturday reported Robinson was living with his trans partner at the time of the slaying, and that partner is now “fully cooperating” with the FBI on its investigation. The New York Times reported Robinson had scrawled the phrases “hey fascist! CATCH!” and “Bella Ciao,” which it said was “popularized as an antifascist anthem,” on bullet casings. And in a video clip that has went viral on X and elsewhere, a young man who said he was a former classmate of Robinson’s said he was a “Reddit kid” who had his brain warped by the social platform.

President Trump has said that he will attend Kirk’s funeral in Arizona this week, saying he has an “obligation” to do so.

Secret Service Employee Fired Over Charlie Kirk Comments

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A U.S. Secret Service employee has been placed on immediate administrative leave after reportedly celebrating the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk in a social media post, Fox News Digital confirmed Friday.

“The U.S. Secret Service will not tolerate behavior that violates our code of conduct. This employee was immediately put on administrative leave, and an investigation has begun,” a Secret Service spokesperson told Fox News when asked about the employment status of Anthony Pough.

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

According to Real Clear Politics, Pough had posted on Facebook celebrating Kirk’s death, accusing the conservative leader of spreading “racism.”

“If you are Mourning [sic] this guy .. delete me. He spewed hate and racism on his show,” Pough wrote, according to the outlet. He also referenced the recent Evergreen High School shooting in Colorado that left two students injured, writing, “Especially when we should be mourning the innocent children killed in Colorado.”

Pough further claimed that Kirk’s death was “karma,” writing, “At the end of the day, you answer to GOD and speak things into existence. You can only circumvent karma, she doesnt [sic] leave.”

Kirk was attending a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday afternoon when a single shot rang out and struck Kirk in the neck. He was transported to a local hospital and was pronounced dead just hours later. 

Real Clear Politics reported that Pough was in “Phase 2” of his career with the Secret Service, a stage where agents are focused on protective assignments. He had not yet been assigned to any regular detail protecting former President Donald Trump. According to the agency’s website, Phase 3 typically involves post-protective field, protection, or headquarters assignments.

Kirk was shot Wednesday afternoon while attending a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University. He was struck once in the neck and later pronounced dead at a local hospital. He is survived by his wife, Erika, and their two young children, ages 1 and 3. The couple married in 2021. (RELATED: MSNBC Fires Analyst Matthew Dowd For ‘Unacceptable’ Charlie Kirk Comments)

Kirk leaves behind his wife, Erika Kirk, as well as their two children, ages 1 and 3. The Kirks married in 2021.

Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance accompanied Kirk’s casket back to Arizona, where he resided with his family, on Thursday via Air Force Two. 

READ NEXT: Report: Homeland Security Confirms Probe Into Immigration Status Of Boston Lawmaker

Trump Tells Fox & Friends Suspect in Charlie Kirk Shooting is In Custody

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President Donald Trump attends the National Prayer Breakfast, Thursday, February 6, 2025, at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley.)

President Donald Trump revealed that a suspect in the political assassination of Charlie Kirk is in custody.

“I think with a high degree of certainty, we have him in custody, in custody,” Trump announced on Fox & Friends, adding, “Everyone did a great job, worked with local police, governor, everybody did a great job. Getting somebody —  you start off with absolutely nothing — and we started off with a clip that made him look like an ant, almost useless, just saw someone up there. So much work has been done, it is amazing when you start with that, and all of a sudden, you get lucky or talent or whatever it is. I think we’re in great shape. He’s in custody.”

The FBI was under bipartisan criticism for its initial handling of the search for the alleged assassin, drawing criticism even from Fox & Friends’ co-host Brian Kilmeade earlier in the show.

Lawrence Jones followed up, noting, “Your suspicion was he was radical left, and now you have more information. What can you share about his ideology?”

Trump responded:

“I think that I don’t want to go too far, like to tell you stories how it happened, essentially somebody very close to him turned him in and that happens when you have good shots, somebody will say whether a parent or whatever, I would rather not say right now,” Trump deferred. “They will announce it later today, probably talk about that.”

“Somebody close to him said, ‘Whoa, it is interesting’ — we had very good pictures, but not great or perfect. When you look at it, what happened, somebody and this happens a lot, it happened with the crazy Boston bomber, and with others. Somebody that is close recognizes a little tilt of the head and somebody close to him said, that’s him. And essentially went to the father, went to U.S. Marshal who is fantastic and the person was involved with law enforcement but was a person of faith, a minister. And brought him to a U.S. Marshal, who is fantastic and the father convinced the son, this is it.”

“And I’m always subject to be corrected, just giving you based on what I’m hearing, they will give you,” Trump explained. “I just heard about it five minutes before I walked in. As I’m walking in, they said looking good, they have the person they wanted.”

Watch:

“So you have breaking news,” Trump boasted to his Fox & Friends hosts. “Don’t you, you always have breaking news, Ainsley? Sean will be disappointed we’re not doing it on his show,” he added, in reference to Ainsley Earhardt’s fiance, Sean Hannity.

Robinson was taken into custody on Thursday night in southern Utah after having allegedly confessed to his father, Matt Robinson. 

Robinson was a student at Utah State University on a scholarship, insiders confirmed to Daily Mail. 

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

Former Congressman Madison Cawthorn Arrested

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Former Congressman Madison Cawthorn was briefly arrested this week in Cape Coral, Florida — yet the setback may not slow what many believe is a mounting effort to reenter national politics.

Authorities took Cawthorn into custody on a warrant stemming from an August 19 citation for driving without a valid license in Naples. He was released shortly thereafter on a $2,000 bond and is expected to appear in court to resolve the matter. Supporters have dismissed the incident as a minor technicality, unlikely to derail his ambitions.


From Conservative Trailblazer to Political Lightning Rod

Cawthorn burst onto the national stage in 2020 as one of the youngest Republicans ever elected to Congress, winning his North Carolina seat at just 25 years old. He quickly became a symbol of youthful conservative energy and unapologetic defiance of the Washington establishment.

But his meteoric rise ran into turbulence during his lone term. In early 2022, he alleged that some D.C. elites had invited him to a cocaine-fueled “orgy,” a claim that drew sharp criticism from GOP leadership. Weeks later, police body camera footage showed him being pulled over while driving a car he mistakenly believed he owned, and he was also cited for bringing a firearm through airport security — his second such incident in less than a year.

Republican leadership, once supportive, gradually distanced themselves. The controversies overshadowed his legislative work and contributed to his loss in the 2022 Republican primary.


Florida Could Offer a Second Act

Now, Cawthorn may be plotting a political revival — this time from Florida’s 19th Congressional District, where Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) is expected to step down to run for governor. Axios recently reported that Cawthorn has been exploring a run to fill the soon-to-be-open seat, potentially offering him a clean slate and new political base in one of the country’s most Republican-leaning regions.

If he enters the race, Cawthorn could return to Washington older, more seasoned, and still armed with the anti-establishment instincts that made him a grassroots favorite. For many conservatives, his resilience — and willingness to challenge entrenched power — could be the very qualities the GOP needs in its next generation of leadership. for the second time in nine months.

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.