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Utah leaders urge unity following Charlie Kirk’s assassination: ‘Turning Point for America’

Utah leaders urge unity following Charlie Kirk’s assassination: ‘Turning Point for America’

In the days following Charlie Kirk’s assassination, Utahns have united at memorials and candlelit vigils to honor the 31-year-old conservative influencer’s life and legacy.  “It’s really important we support each other,” Republican Utah state Senate President Stuart Adams told Fox News Digital. “I’m very proud of our community for coming together to try to support one another as we work our way through this.” As local leaders urge the community to lean on their friends, family and neighbors, many have echoed Utah Republican Gov. Spencer Cox’s call to action against political violence.  “History will dictate if this is a turning point for our country, but every single one of us gets to choose right now if this is a turning point for us,” Cox said during a press conference on Friday after announcing the suspect, Tyler Robinson, had been arrested.  UTAH STUDENTS LIFT VOICES IN PRAYER AT VIGIL FOR CHARLIE KIRK’S CHRISTIAN LEGACY: ‘FELT CALLED BY GOD’ Adams said it’s vital that Americans put their phones down, as Kirk encouraged, to contribute something constructive to the community.   EYEWITNESS DESCRIBES MOMENT CHARLIE KIRK WAS ASSASSINATED: ‘WE KNEW IMMEDIATELY’ “This is a turning point for America as we see what we want to become, what we want to do, what we want America to be, and surely we don’t want America to be filled with hate. We want to fill it with love, with the type of discourse and free speech that Charlie represented,” Adams said.  Utah Attorney General Derek Brown told Fox News Digital that Utahns can honor Kirk’s life by modeling his commitment to open dialogue.  “He engaged in a productive, respectful dialogue, and he showed a model for how to engage productively with people that you might disagree with,” Brown said, adding that “he was modeling the very behavior that he encouraged people to do” until the moment he died.  As attorney general, Brown has collaborated with local and federal law enforcement agencies and the U.S. Department of Justice to ensure Kirk’s assassin “pays the price for what he’s done.” “If that’s state law, if that’s federal law, if that is a combination of both, we’ll make sure justice is served in this case,” Brown said.  While Brown carries out his job, he said it’s the community’s job to “learn how to cope with what’s happened, to learn how to heal.” “I have people close to me in my own family and on my own staff even, who were part of the experience. They were there, they saw it happen. I think it’s important for us to process the trauma and the experience and to understand what it is and, ideally, to use it to bring us together,” he said.  Taylor Bentley, a Utah resident who said he was 15 to 20 yards from Kirk when he was assassinated, told Fox News Digital that he has loved the message of unity from community leaders, particularly the governor. And Brown agreed that Cox’s unifying message has “showcased the best that we have to offer as a state.” Bentley said Cox has “done a phenomenal job in pushing a message of unity, of faith, of hope and of embracing the message that Charlie pushed out there of open dialogue, and of avoiding violence, and of approaching our disagreements with words instead of violence.” The governor said Kirk’s “political assassination” is an “attack on the American experiment,” and he has urged not just Utah residents, but Americans, to live out Kirk’s legacy by engaging peacefully and condemning political violence.  Since the assassination on Wednesday, Utah residents have organized several events honoring Kirk’s life. On Friday night, hundreds of Utah State University students gathered for a vigil hosted by the campus’ Turning Point USA chapter.  In Orem City Park on Thursday evening, students and local residents paid their respects during a candlelit vigil. A memorial honoring Kirk at the Timpanogos Regional Hospital is filled with “We love you, Charlie” posters, flowers and American flags. More signs and flowers have been placed for Kirk on Utah Valley University’s campus.  Flags are flying throughout the state at half-staff this week, and many also gathered for a vigil at the Utah State Capitol on Wednesday evening hours after Kirk’s assassination. 

Trump praises FBI Director Kash Patel for speedy capture of Charlie Kirk assassin

Trump praises FBI Director Kash Patel for speedy capture of Charlie Kirk assassin

EXCLUSIVE: President Trump on Saturday praised FBI Director Kash Patel for the remarkable speed in which the bureau identified and captured Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin. Tyler Robinson, 22, was nabbed in his hometown of Washington, Utah, just 33 hours after he allegedly shot Kirk from a rooftop on the campus of Utah Valley University. The capture came after a frantic manhunt that began with only grainy images of the suspect’s figure fleeing the scene. WHO IS TYLER ROBINSON? WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT CHARLIE KIRK’S SUSPECTED ASSASSIN “I am very proud of the FBI,” Trump said, speaking exclusively with Fox News Digital. “Kash—and everyone else—they have done a great job.”  Officials shared with Fox News Digital new details of the timeline of the investigation into the identification and arrest of Tyler Robinson and the unusual hands-on role Patel played in the process. According to the FBI, Robinson was seen on the campus on Sept. 10, the day Kirk was shot, presumably conducting reconnaissance between 8:28 and 9:34 a.m. At 11:52 a.m., Robinson returned, climbed an exterior stairway to the roof of the Losee building, and took up a position at the highest level of the roof at 12:22 p.m., according to officials. He allegedly  shot Kirk just a minute later. Robinson then lowered himself from the roof and dropped to the ground, authorities said. Two minutes after he allegedly shot Kirk, Robinson ran into a nearby wooded area, where the gun was later found. Local FBI was on the scene immediately after the shooting, and Patel arrived at around 5:30 p.m. local time on Sept. 11. TIMELINE OF CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION  Patel was walked through the entire crime scene, and stood where Kirk was murdered. Patel walked each step the suspect took, according to sources familiar with the investigation. Patel also went to the rooftop where Robinson had allegedly perched and retraced his steps as he fled, including into the wooded area where the gun, a Mauser 30.06 rifle, was found. Patel personally directed agents as they processed evidence and prepared to send it to Quantico, ATF labs, or local labs. Sources told Fox News Digital that Patel then directed the evidence to be loaded onto a plane with initial forensics and evidence collected and sent it back to the FBI labs for processing. A law enforcement source told Fox News Digital that, typically, when evidence is collected in an investigation, an agent ships it to the labs. But the source said Patel directed that the evidence and fingerprints be sent back to Quantico via plane—traveling back and forth from Utah collecting and delivering evidence. “The DNA was being analyzed through the night because the director was there and he was directing all of this,” the source told Fox News Digital. “He directed everyone and said ‘You’re going to get the evidence out now.’” The source added: “The evidence was getting back to the labs in rapid-speed. That’s why he was caught so quickly.”  Fox News Digital also learned that Patel, against all recommendations, demanded the video footage of the suspect be released to the public. A law enforcement source familiar told Fox News Digital that Robinson’s father, who ultimately turned him in to authorities, told the FBI that he recognized his son in that released video.

Iran considers nuclear inspection access, urges action against Israel

Iran considers nuclear inspection access, urges action against Israel

Tehran, Iran – Iran’s authorities are discussing what comes next following an agreement with the global nuclear watchdog, as they urge the region to go beyond issuing statements in reaction to Israel’s attack on Qatar. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is heading to an emergency meeting of the parliament’s national security commission on Saturday evening, with hardline lawmakers looking for answers as to whether the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will be allowed to access nuclear sites bombed by the United States and Israel in June. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list He is expected to reassure the hardline-dominated parliament that no access will be given to the IAEA without strict permission from the top echelon. Araghchi had reached an agreement with the IAEA in Cairo, Egypt, on Tuesday, to try to resume cooperation that had been suspended after Tehran accused the nuclear watchdog and its chief, Rafael Grossi, of having paved the way for the strikes. Grossi told the IAEA Board of Governors on Wednesday that the technical agreement includes “all facilities and installations in Iran” and “contemplates the required reporting on all the attacked facilities, including the nuclear material present”. But Araghchi told Iranian state television that agency inspectors have no access to Iranian nuclear sites beyond the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant. He said case-by-case permission would have to be granted by the country’s Supreme National Security Council, which includes the president, parliament and judiciary chiefs, several ministers, military commanders and those appointed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Advertisement Araghchi also confirmed that Iran’s high-enriched uranium is “under the rubble of bombed facilities”, and said the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran is investigating and assessing whether the sites are accessible or contaminated. Europe’s ‘snapback’ and Iranian threats Amir Hayat Moghadam, a hardline member of the parliament’s national security commission, claimed that Araghchi said Iran will leave the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) if United Nations sanctions are reinstated against the country, according to the state-linked Tabnak news website, ahead of the meeting on Saturday. Araghchi and the foreign ministry have confirmed that legislation is in motion aimed at abandoning the global non-proliferation pact, but that finalising such a move would only potentially come if the “snapback” mechanism of Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers is abused by European countries. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, during a meeting with IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty at Tahrir Palace in Cairo, on September 9, 2025 [Khaled Elfiqi/AP] France, Germany and the United Kingdom triggered the snapback mechanism in late August and were slammed by China and Russia, the other signatories to the landmark nuclear accord that the US unilaterally abandoned in 2018. The European countries, known as the E3, gave Iran one month to reach a new agreement over its nuclear programme or face international sanctions. Iran maintains that the three would lose legitimacy if they go through with the threat, and will “empower the US and marginalise Europe in future diplomatic engagements”. Despite the rising tensions, Araghchi announced on Thursday that Iran and France are close to agreeing on a prisoner swap and expressed hope that an exchange would happen “in the coming days”. Iran’s top diplomat did not detail which French prisoners held in Iran would be released, but said the exchange would include Mahdieh Esfandiari, an Iranian woman arrested in France over posts about Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. Esfandiari, a translator living in the French city of Lyon since 2018, was arrested in February, with French authorities accusing her of incitement to and glorification of “terrorism” and “hate speech” against Jewish people over posts on Telegram. Tehran calls her a “hostage”, employing the word used by France and other European countries that have accused Iran for decades of holding foreign and dual-national citizens in relation to espionage charges. Advertisement ‘Joint operation room against Israeli madness’ Fighting off surging pressure from the US and its allies, Iranian authorities have tried to warm ties with China and Russia, and to find common ground with regional players, particularly Arab neighbours, over Israel’s aggressions. After Israel attacked Qatar for the first time this week in a failed attempt to assassinate the top leadership of Hamas, Iran joined the chorus of regional and international condemnation. Ali Larijani, who was appointed Iran’s security chief last month, went further on Saturday and issued what he called a “warning to Islamic governments”. “Holding a conference of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation filled with speeches without any practical outcome (as happens in UN Security Council meetings) in truth amounts to issuing a new order of aggression in favour of the Zionist entity!”, he wrote on X in Arabic, in reference to Israel. “At the very least, form a ‘joint operations room’ against the madness of this entity,” Larijani said, adding that “you have done nothing for the hungry and oppressed Muslims in Palestine, at least take a modest decision to avert your own annihilation”. Qatar announced on Saturday that it will host an emergency Arab-Islamic summit on Monday in Doha, preceded by a preparatory meeting of foreign ministers on Sunday. Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed bin Mohammed al-Ansari said in a statement that “the summit will discuss a draft statement” on the Israeli attack. Iran said President Masoud Pezeshkian will represent the country in the summit. Adblock test (Why?)

Taliban official says US envoy agrees to prisoner swap in Kabul meeting

Taliban official says US envoy agrees to prisoner swap in Kabul meeting

The reported visit follows one in March 2025 which led to the release of a US citizen held for more than two years in Afghanistan. Published On 13 Sep 202513 Sep 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share United States officials have agreed to a prisoner exchange after a rare talk with the authorities in Kabul, according to the Taliban administration’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Adam Boehler, the Trump administration’s special envoy for hostage response, and Zalmay Khalilzad, a former US special envoy for Afghanistan, met with the Taliban’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list “Adam Boehler, referring to the issue of detained citizens between Afghanistan and the United States, said that both countries will exchange prisoners,” deputy prime minister Abdul Ghani Baradar’s office said after their meeting. There was no immediate statement from Washington regarding the meeting, and Khalilzad did not immediately respond to a phone call from Reuters when asked for comment. Mahmood Habibi, a naturalised US citizen and businessman who previously worked for a telecommunications company in Kabul, is the highest-profile American detainee, according to Washington. The US is offering a $5 million reward for information to find him, with the Taliban authorities denying any involvement in his 2022 disappearance. The Taliban has reportedly pressed for the release of Muhammad Rahim, the last Afghan national held at Guantanamo Bay, who has been detained without charge since 2008. Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba [File: Alex Brandon/AP] Another American, airline mechanic George Glezmann, was freed after more than two years in detention during a March visit to Kabul by Boehler. That deal, mediated by Qatar, was described by the Taliban as a “humanitarian” gesture and a “sign of goodwill”. Advertisement Before that, in January 2025, the two sides carried out a prisoner exchange in which US citizens Ryan Corbett and William Wallace McKenty were released in exchange for Khan Mohammad, an Afghan national serving two life sentences in the US. Both sides also agreed to continue discussions regarding nationals imprisoned in each other’s countries, the statement added. The Taliban administration, which took power in 2021 after 20 years of US military intervention in Afghanistan, is not recognised by Washington. Adblock test (Why?)

Video: Tens of thousands march in rival London protests over immigration

Video: Tens of thousands march in rival London protests over immigration

NewsFeed Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in London on Saturday for an anti-immigration rally called ‘Unite the Kingdom’, organised by far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, better known as Tommy Robinson. Anti-racism campaigners also marched in counterprotests. Published On 13 Sep 202513 Sep 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Adblock test (Why?)