Join us Oct. 8 in Longview to discuss Texas’ water crisis and proposed solutions across the state
Ahead of the constitutional amendment election, we’ll hear from experts and lawmakers on what can be done to boost and protect the state’s water supply
Texas A&M professor fired after viral video disputes termination
An attorney for Melissa McCoul, seen in a video clashing with a student over gender-identity content in her class, said the professor is weighing her legal options.
Texas State fires professor accused of trying to incite political violence in video
Thomas Alter is the second professor in the state to be terminated for allegedly violating university policy after a video was posted on social media.
Vigils held across US after assassination of Charlie Kirk: ‘We must heal’
Vigils were held across the country following the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at an event in Utah on Wednesday. Kirk, the 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed on the campus of Utah Valley University on Wednesday afternoon. He was transported to a hospital in critical condition before he was later pronounced dead. Politicians, faith leaders, fellow conservative activists and others mourned Kirk’s death, with some announcing vigils to stand against political violence in the wake of his murder. Turning Point USA campus chapters at colleges across the country organized vigils on Wednesday night for the organization’s founder. CHARLIE KIRK, TURNING POINT USA FOUNDER, DEAD AT 31 AFTER UTAH CAMPUS SHOOTING “In response to the reprehensible and senseless murder of Charlie Kirk, we are gathering tonight at Westlake Park in Seattle at 7:30PM for a time of prayer, worship, and solitary as we take a stand against the senseless political and religious violence in America,” Russell Johnson, lead pastor at The Pursuit in Washington state, wrote on X announcing his church’s vigil. Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-MT, said there would be a prayer vigil at a church on Capitol Hill on Wednesday night. “I invite Montanans to join us in prayer and spirit praying for Charlie, his family and our divided nation. We must heal,” he wrote on X. In Arizona, the group Catholics for Catholics said a rosary vigil would be held Wednesday night. “Charlie Kirk’s local Catholic community gathers to pray the Rosary for the Eternal Rest of his soul,” the group wrote on Instagram. YANKEES HOLD MOMENT OF SILENCE IN HONOR OF CHARLIE KIRK AFTER SHOOTING DEATH IN UTAH “Charlie was our friend,” the post added. “His family are our neighbors. He attended our Church. We loved him and America loves him too. It’s time now for us to pray and ask for Our Lady to usher his soul into heaven.” The New York Yankees held a moment of silence ahead of Wednesday night’s game against the Detroit Tigers to honor Kirk. “Before tonight’s game we held a moment of silence in memoriam of Charlie Kirk. Kirk founded the youth activist group ‘Turning Point USA’ and had become a fixture on college campuses,” the team said on X. Kevin Smith, founder of the conservative media company The Loud Majority, also announced a vigil scheduled for Saturday in New York. President Donald Trump, officials in his administration, other U.S. politicians on both sides of the aisle, foreign leaders and sports figures were among those who came out in mourning Kirk and condemning acts of political violence. “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, said on X that the attack on Kirk was “disgusting, vile, and reprehensible,” adding: “In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form.” “Charlie Kirk was murdered for speaking truth and defending freedom,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on X. “A lion-hearted friend of Israel, he fought the lies and stood tall for Judeo-Christian civilization.” “Condolences to his family and the young people of this country,” Bruce Pearl, Auburn University’s men’s basketball coach, said on X. “Many in our Auburn student body are horrified tonight, you young patriots who love our country like Charlie. For now let’s morn, keep the violent rhetoric down and then live our best lives, committed to making this country better.” Kirk leaves behind his wife, Erika Lane Frantzve, and two children.
WATCH: Dems and Republicans clash on House floor following moment of silence for Charlie Kirk
A moment of silence for Charlie Kirk on the House floor Wednesday devolved into a shouting match after a Republican representative demanded a prayer be said out loud for the conservative who was shot earlier in the day. As lawmakers stood silently in a mostly filled House of Representatives chamber during a moment of silence for the conservative who was shot and killed at Utah Valley University during an on-campus event Wednesday, Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert demanded a spoken prayer. “Please rise for a moment of prayer for Charlie Kirk and his family,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said. Lawmakers obliged for several seconds, before returning to regular order. However, once that started to happen, Boebert spoke up. CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION SPARKS BIPARTISAN UPROAR OVER POLITICAL VIOLENCE AS UTAH MANHUNT UNDERWAY “Silent prayers get silent results,” Boebert said. She could also be heard asking for a prayer to be said “out loud.” The Colorado Republican’s comments resulted in shouts from Democrats. Some reportedly began shouting back about how Republicans had ignored a school shooting that happened Wednesday as well, according to the New York Times. Meanwhile, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., stood up and began shouting back. “You all caused this,” she said. CHARLIE KIRK KILLED WHILE LAUNCHING TURNING POINT USA CAMPUS TOUR Speaker Johnson attempted to quell the crowd multiple times, banging his gavel and asking for order. Eventually, he said: “We will join for prayer right after this, OK?” Kirk was shot in the neck while speaking to a sizable crowd at Utah Value University, located in Orem, Utah, from underneath a tent in the middle of the school’s outdoor quad. Kirk was transported to a local hospital, but was later pronounced dead. He was at the university for an event as part of Turning Point USA’s “American Comeback Tour” that launched this spring. Kirk was the founder of Turning Point USA, established in 2012. The political nonprofit built its name by engaging youth people on university campuses about politics. Kirk frequently went around the country to campuses to speak at events.
President Trump orders White House flags at half-staff in honor of Charlie Kirk
American flags outside the White House were seen at half-staff on Wednesday evening after President Donald Trump ordered them to be lowered in honor of Charlie Kirk. Kirk, a 31-year-old husband, father, conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder, was fatally shot in the neck while speaking during an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. On his Truth Social, Trump posted, “In honor of Charlie Kirk, a truly Great American Patriot, I am ordering all American Flags throughout the United States lowered to Half Mast until Sunday evening at 6 P.M.” Images taken by Fox News Digital on Wednesday showed the massive American flags installed on either side of the White House at Trump’s direction were at half-staff. SADNESS AND SHOCK AT WHITE HOUSE AFTER CHARLIE KIRK’S SHOOTING DEATH Trump issued an official proclamation on Wednesday, writing, “As a mark of respect for the memory of Charlie Kirk, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, September 14, 2025.” In the proclamation, he also directed that flags at all U.S. embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations also lower their flags to half-staff in Kirk’s honor. Earlier on Wednesday, Trump announced that Kirk had passed as a result of the shooting on Truth Social, writing, “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead.” SHOT THAT KILLED CHARLIE KIRK MAY HAVE COME FROM ROOF: UTAH OFFICIAL “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!” wrote Trump. The U.S. Department of Agriculture also posted footage of an American flag outside its headquarters at half-staff in honor of Kirk. American flags were also seen at half-staff in Orem, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City and home to Utah Valley University. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, also ordered that U.S. and Utah state flags be lowered on all state facilities “in recognition of the tragic passing of Charlie Kirk.” CHARLIE KIRK’S ASSASSINATION LATEST CASE OF CONSERVATIVES BEING TARGETED FOR MURDER Cox also invited all private citizens, businesses, and other organizations to join in honoring Kirk by lowering their flags. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, also announced on X that he ordered all flags in Oklahoma to half-staff to “honor the extraordinary life and legacy of Charlie Kirk.” “Charlie’s memory, that of a tireless champion for freedom, shall never die,” wrote Stitt.
Supreme Court rejects South Carolina’s bid to enforce transgender bathroom ban
The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to take up an application from South Carolina seeking to enforce its ban on students using public school bathrooms that match their gender identity. The brief, unsigned order represents a small setback for the state in its bid to tighten policies related to transgender people. However, a lawsuit on the matter will still proceed in the lower courts. Three Republican-appointed justices, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch, would have granted South Carolina’s request. The order from the high court comes after a federal appeals court had temporarily enjoined the state from enforcing its law while the case plays out. The state wanted the Supreme Court to lift that injunction temporarily. SUPREME COURT TO REVIEW STATE BANS ON TRANSGENDER ATHLETES’ PARTICIPATION IN SCHOOL SPORTS The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit had granted the injunction at the request of a ninth-grader who wanted to use the boys’ bathroom, which didn’t correspond to the student’s sex. Attorneys for the student, identified as John Doe in the lawsuit, argued to the high court that an emergency pause on the Fourth Circuit’s order was not warranted given the lawsuit centered on only one student. No other students have taken issue with John Doe using the boys’ restroom, the attorneys noted. “Indeed, no student has ever complained about sharing boys’ restrooms with John, who has dressed and presented as a boy since he was a young child,” the attorneys wrote. SCOTUS RULES ON STATE BAN ON GENDER TRANSITION ‘TREATMENTS’ FOR MINORS IN LANDMARK CASE The Supreme Court did not weigh in on the merits of the case, giving little insight into how the court will continue to approach a contentious cultural issue. Its order comes after the high court upheld a ban in Tennessee in June on certain transgender medical treatments for minors and as the justices prepare to hear arguments this upcoming term on transgender participation in school sports. South Carolina lawyers referenced the latter appeal, which is poised to be a closely watched case this term, in asking the justices to allow its ban to take effect. “This case implicates a question fraught with emotions and differing perspectives,” the state lawyers wrote. “That is all the more reason to defer to state lawmakers pending appeal. The decision was the South Carolina legislature’s to make.”
Jury seated in trial of man accused of Trump assassination attempt
The jury has been seated for the high-profile federal trial of Ryan Routh, the North Carolina man accused of attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf club last September, when Trump was a leading candidate in the 2024 election. After three days of jury selection that began Monday, 12 jurors and four alternates were chosen. The panel includes six white women, four white men, one Black woman and one Black man. The alternates are two white women and two white men. Opening statements are set for Thursday morning in Fort Pierce, Florida, where prosecutors are expected to launch their case immediately. JURY SELECTION STILL UNDERWAY IN RYAN ROUTH TRIAL, MORE THAN 70 JURORS REMOVED Three groups of 60 potential jurors went through the selection process, where prosecutors and Routh — who is representing himself — asked potential jurors questions to assess if they could fairly participate in the trial. During Wednesday’s session, Routh said he wanted to raise an objection due to the prosecution eliminating two potential jurors who were Black. “I want to raise that we have a racist situation,” Routh said. But the prosecution said that one of the potential jurors was Haitian and would face language barriers, and that they had no knowledge the other was Black. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon eliminated a potential juror for the trial because the woman asserted, “I am MAGA.” According to Cannon, the statement showed “self-declared bias.” Another woman was eliminated as a potential juror for saying she “only follows God’s law” on a questionnaire. During Monday’s session, Routh’s questions for potential jurors included their views on the war in Gaza, their position on the U.S. potentially acquiring Greenland as the president has floated, and how they would act if they were driving and spotted a turtle in the middle of the road. In response, Cannon labeled them “politically charged,” and said that they were unnecessary for jury selection. Prosecutors claim that Routh sought to kill Trump for weeks, and staked out a spot in shrubbery on Sept. 15, 2024 when a Secret Service agent detected him pointing a rifle at Trump while the then-presidential candidate played golf at his West Palm Beach country club. Routh aimed his rifle at the agent, but abandoned his weapon at the scene after the Secret Service agents opened fire. JURY POOL SHRINKS AS RYAN ROUTH TRIAL UNFOLDS IN FLORIDA ON DAY 2 Routh was later apprehended by the Martin County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office on the I-95 interstate in a black Nissan Xterra. Routh faces federal charges including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, as well as assaulting a federal officer and various gun violations. The charges carry a potential life sentence if the jury finds him guilty. Meanwhile, Routh has maintained he’s innocent and pleaded not guilty to all federal charges, in addition to state charges of terrorism and attempted murder. Routh was previously convicted of felonies in North Carolina in 2002 and 2010. RYAN ROUTH TRIAL OPENS WITH BIZARRE JURY QUESTIONS AND WITNESS DRAMA The court has allocated four weeks for Routh’s trial, although it is expected to wrap up sooner. Fox News’ Jamie Joseph, Olivianna Calmes, Jake Gibson, Heather Lacey and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Charlie Kirk’s assassination latest case of conservatives being targeted for murder
The horrific assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk Wednesday is the latest entry in a grim and growing tally of conservative figures and institutions being targeted for violence, vandalism and murder. The fatal shooting follows a lengthy recent history of conservatives and Republicans facing violence, a Fox News Digital review of the last four years found, including two assassination attempts against President Donald Trump in a roughly two-month span in 2024. Kirk was speaking at Utah Valley University as part of his “American Comeback Tour” when shots rang out and he collapsed on stage. He was rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The 31-year-old husband and father was a staunch ally of President Donald Trump’s, and toured the nation promoting right-of-center ideology to youths, most notably on college campuses. He founded his conservative group more than a dozen years ago. CHARLIE KIRK, TURNING POINT USA FOUNDER, DEAD AT 31 AFTER UTAH CAMPUS SHOOTING Conservatives and pro-life nonprofits have been targeted with shootings, arson, and vandalism in just the past four years. Trump himself has faced two assassination attempts, including on July 13, 2024, when he was shot in the ear while joining a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The shooting rocked the election cycle as Trump rose, bleeding and defiant, and urged the crowd to “Fight, fight, fight.” The assassination attempt came just two days before the Republican National Convention was set to kick off in Milwaukee. Trump appeared at the convention while wearing a bandage on his ear, and noted how he “had God on my side” during the attempt. The motive of the would-be assassin, 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, who was killed by a Secret Service sniper, remains unclear. The FBI has pointed to a complex web of personal grievances, mental health issues and a desire for notoriety as leading to the act, Fox News Digital previously reported. RYAN ROUTH TRIAL OPENS WITH BIZARRE JURY QUESTIONS AND WITNESS DRAMA Just weeks later on Sept. 15, 2024, Trump was rushed off of his golf course in Florida when shots rang out. The suspect in that assassination attempt case, Ryan Routh, posted prolifically about Trump, the 2024 election and politics in the lead up to the attempt, Fox News Digital previously reported. Routh is going on trial Thursday over the case, and described the president as an “insecure ego idiot-mad fool” in court documents in September, the New York Post reported. RILEY GAINES ‘AMBUSHED AND PHYSICALLY HIT’ AFTER SAVING WOMEN’S SPORTS SPEECH AT SAN FRANCISCO STATE Attacks on conservatives have unfolded at the grassroots level, as well, including this year when the New Mexico Republican Party’s headquarters faced an arson attack. The attack destroyed the entrance to the headquarters, while graffiti reading “ICE=KKK” scrawled on the building. The suspect in that case, who also allegedly attacked a Tesla Albuquerque Showroom, was hit with federal charges as Attorney General Pam Bondi pointed to the incident as a disturbing case of political violence. TPUSA chapters around the nation have also faced other incidents of violence this year, including when a group of students with Turning Point USA at UC Davis were attacked by masked individuals in April, Fox Digital reported at the time. The conservative group was in the midst of hosting a “Prove me Wrong” event with a guest speaker when protesters destroyed camera gear, a tent, event signage, flipped tables, and assaulted group staff, TPUSA said at the time. PRO-LIFE NY LEADERS SLAM HOCHUL, AG JAMES FOR ‘MISERABLY’ FAILING STATE AT REOPENING OF ‘FIREBOMBED’ OFFICE Looking back at 2023, former NCAA swimmer and conservative political activist Riley Gaines was also attacked and barricaded in a room at San Francisco State University following a speech to students promoting a ban on biological males from playing in women’s sports. The event was part of a Turning Point USA and Leadership Institute forum on campus. DATA SHOW THERE HAVE BEEN 22 TIMES MORE ATTACKS ON PRO-LIFERS THAN PRO-CHOICE GROUPS SINCE SUPREME COURT LEAK Churches and pro-life groups have also faced dozens upon dozens of attacks beginning in 2022 in response to the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, which effectively ended the recognition of abortion as a constitutional right. The attacks included a pro-life center that was “firebombed” in Buffalo, New York, in 2022, Catholic churches that were vandalized and set on fire, and pro-choice protesters interrupting church services and Catholic masses. The attacks followed a radical pro-choice group declaring in a public letter that it was “open season” on pro-lifers. In 2017, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., was shot along with three others when James Hodgkinson, a deranged supporter of Bernie Sanders, sprayed an Alexandria, Virginia, baseball field with gunfire as Republican lawmakers practiced for the annual Congressional Baseball Game. Scalise nearly died, but recovered and remains in office. The fatal shooting of Kirk on Wednesday has not yet yielded a suspect, with the FBI and ATF on the ground and investigating, according to Bondi. Trump, as well as members of his Cabinet, have offered an outpouring of support to Kirk’s family following the tragedy. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” Trump said on Truth Social on Wednesday. “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!” Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano, Stepheny Price, and Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.
Dozens of Democrats mutiny must-pass defense bill over GOP priorities
The House of Representatives passed its version of Congress’ annual defense bill on Wednesday evening, albeit along stunningly partisan lines. For decades, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) has seen support from a majority of Democrats and Republicans. That’s changed in recent years, however, and the trend appears to have continued with the fiscal year (FY) 2026 bill. The legislation passed 231-196 after a lengthy series of votes, with 17 Democrats voting in favor and 192 against. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and other top Democrats opposed the bill. Democratic lawmakers had spent hours beforehand railing against GOP-led amendments on mainly transgender issues, including several which were successfully voted into the bill. HOUSE MOVES TO EXPOSE EPSTEIN FILES, AUTHORIZES OVERSIGHT PROBE Multiple amendments by Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., for instance, placing limits on spaces that transgender service academy cadets can access, passed along mostly partisan lines. Another amendment by Rep. Jimmy Patronis, R-Fla., aimed at eliminating the preference for motor vehicles using electric or hybrid propulsion systems and related requirements of the Department of Defense, passed with mostly Republicans – although six Democrats joined in approving it as well. Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., introduced an amendment aimed at preventing pride flags or other ideological banners being displayed on military installations, which also passed along nearly partisan lines. Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, announced on Tuesday that he would vote against final passage of the bill if certain GOP-led amendments made it into the final piece. Smith also ripped Republicans for not allowing House-wide votes on solely Democrat-led amendments in the bill, all of which were filtered out when the House Rules Committee was considering the legislation earlier this week. “There are a number of problematic amendments included in the rule that focus on divisive topics rather than strengthening our national security. Should these amendments be adopted, I will vote against final passage of the bill,” Smith said in a statement. “For 65 years, the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act has been a testament to shared respect for the duty of Congress to provide for the common defense and to place the needs of America’s national security and national defense above politics. The rule undermines this long-standing tradition by failing to include meaningful amendments offered by Democrats to address critical issues.” Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., earlier spoke out against the amendments targeting transgender issues as well. “Many people in this body have received gender-affirming care. Filler is gender-affirming care. Boob jobs is gender-affirming care. Botox is gender-affirming care,” Jacobs said. RON KLAIN DODGES REPORTERS AFTER MARATHON GRILLING IN BIDEN COVER-UP PROBE It prompted an angry response from Mace, “That is ridiculous! You are absolutely ridiculous.” Four Republicans voted against the bill in addition to the dozens of Democrats, including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., longtime skeptics of foreign aid funding in the NDAA. Democrats who voted in favor of the bill include Reps. Jared Golden, D-Maine, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., Don Davis, D-N.C., Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, and Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas. The NDAA is an annually passed bill that sets defense and national security policy goals for the U.S. The Senate is expected to consider its own version of the bill as well, after which the two chambers must compromise and consider them again before they get to President Donald Trump’s desk for a signature.