GOP congressman reveals how he learned about 9/11 terror attacks in remote Alaska wilderness
On the 24th anniversary of 9/11, Rep. Troy Downing, R-Mont., is sharing his unusual experience that day, which inspired him to join the United States Air Force. Downing was on a moose hunting trip with a friend in the Alaskan wilderness, with the only outside communication being an aviation radio, when he and his friend noticed that no planes were flying over remote Alaska anymore. “I’m thinking nuclear holocaust. I have no idea what could make planes stop flying,” he said in an interview with Fox News Digital. WEST POINT CADET TURNED ARMY VETERAN HONORS BROTHER LOST IN 9/11 ATTACKS THROUGH METS GAME TRIBUTE “We decide if they don’t come pick us up on our scheduled day, which was the 16th, I said we got to hike to Anchorage and, you know, Anchorage was about 350 miles away, so it would have taken quite a while,” he added. On Sept. 16, as they were packing up the hunting camp, a Grumman Goose plane lands on the lake, goes to the shore to pick them up, and the pilot informs them by rolling down his window that “They blew up the World Trade Center.” “Like, who? And I’m just trying to process this. And keep in mind, we didn’t see any of this on TV,” he said, explaining how he was quickly coming to terms with the sadness and anger about what happened thousands of miles away in New York City. DOG-WALKING MAN STUMBLES ON SUSPECTED DEBRIS FROM REAGAN NATIONAL PLANE CRASH 7 MONTHS LATER He said the tragedy ended up as fuel for inspiration to enlist at 34, just one year from the cutoff, like the hundreds of thousands who did after the attacks. “It took a while to get out of Alaska because the airspace was closed over Canada so I couldn’t fly home. And as soon as they opened the air space, I flew home and the next day, I walked into a recruiter’s office,” Downing said, adding that he had no prior military experience and never considered joining before, as he was a tech entrepreneur. “’Hey, I used to teach at New York University. I’ve got a pilot’s license, you know, what can you do with me?’” the Republican asked the recruiter. Downing ended up doing two tours in Afghanistan for the USAF and Air National Guard, including in a combat search and rescue squad. NAVY ACCUSED OF NEGLECTING BRAIN INJURIES AMONG PILOTS IN NEW HOUSE PROBE “And the recruiter looks me in the eye and says, ‘Well, how old are you?’ I said, ‘34.’ He goes, ‘Good, 35 is the cutoff, go take the ASVAB,’” he said. The Republican, who joined Congress earlier this year after serving as Montana State Auditor, said that the unity in the days following 9/11 should be the takeaway decades later and emphasized that “we continue to take care of our veterans.” “We were all just Americans, and you saw those flags everywhere, and you saw this common goal of fighting back, of coming together, of having that real, you know, that pride in being American. And I hate that it took such a tragedy to get us to that spot. But I’m hoping that we can find a way to get to that spot again, where we really look at our common balance of being American,” Downing said.
Pastor recalls last moments with Charlie Kirk: ‘American martyr’
FIRST ON FOX: Pastor Jack Hibbs, a close friend of Charlie Kirk, told Fox News Digital he was in disbelief when he heard the conservative firebrand had been assassinated after having spoken to him just hours earlier. “My initial thoughts, of course, like everyone else, is what is going on in our country?” Hibbs said. “But then quickly, I think my second thought, which is the prevailing thought, is Charlie was obviously a young man of not only profound intellect, he had a great faith in Jesus.” Kirk, 31, was shot and killed Wednesday at the kickoff of his “American Comeback Tour” at Utah Valley University. He leaves behind his wife, Erika, and two young children, ages 1 and 3. Hibbs, pastor of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in Southern California, said Kirk had “a love for the Bible” and the pair “spent the last several years going through the Scriptures together.” Kirk’s assassination made him an “American martyr” that will encourage an entire generation of “untold Charlies who will follow in his footsteps,” he said. CHARLIE KIRK PAINTED AS ‘CONTROVERSIAL,’ ‘PROVOCATIVE’ IN MEDIA’S ASSASSINATION COVERAGE Hibbs and Kirk have collaborated over the last five years on their podcast shows and culture events. Kirk was invited several times over the years to speak at Hibbs’ church, born out of the Jesus People movement, on topics ranging from gender identity, abortion and school choice to biblical prophecy. Just hours before Kirk kicked off his American Comeback Tour, where he planned to travel across the U.S. to college campuses and invite liberal students to debate and ask him questions publicly, Hibbs reached out asking if he could get his brother entry into the Utah event. “Charlie was so kind and generous to let this stranger have a front row seat,” Hibbs said. “And I know that that was Charlie loving on me by loving on my brother. And that’s just who he was, extremely, extremely generous.” “My brother sent me pictures of him and Charlie, standing together before the event started and everything looked great,” Hibbs said. “And then my brother called me immediately during the shooting, I could hear people screaming and running, and my brother was about 25 to 35 feet away from Charlie.” Hibbs urged Kirk’s supporters to remember his killing was “not the end of Charlie,” because he had immense faith. VIGILS HELD ACROSS US AFTER ASSASSINATION OF CHARLIE KIRK: ‘WE MUST HEAL’ “This just galvanized an entire generation of not only those who follow Charlie, but those who criticized him. They watched a young man lay down his life for his cause,” Hibbs said. “And I do believe that the result of today is going to backfire on anyone who had nefarious plots to silence Charlie.” One of the last appearances of Kirk at Hibbs’ church was in March, an event titled, “A Christian or Pagan Nation.” “What a lot of people don’t realize is they see the Charlie Kirk, so to speak, in his armor, right on stage or on the university campus, but Charlie was a very tender-hearted young man, very, very empathetic,” Hibbs said. CHARLIE KIRK KILLED WHILE LAUNCHING TURNING POINT USA CAMPUS TOUR Kirk rose to prominence during the 2016 election cycle, emerging as one of the most influential voices in the MAGA movement and cultivating a close relationship with the Trump family. As the founder of Turning Point USA (TPUSA), he built a nationwide platform that amplified the voices of young conservatives and brought them into the political arena. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Through large-scale TPUSA events, Kirk positioned himself as a bridge between lawmakers and grassroots youth activists, creating direct connections between the political establishment and a new generation of conservative leaders. His efforts extended to specialized gatherings such as the Black Leadership Summit, where young participants were even invited to the White House during President Donald Trump‘s first term, offering them a rare opportunity to engage face-to-face with the president.
9/11 responder’s wife blasts Mamdani’s link to Twitch streamer who said ‘America deserved’ attacks
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo hosted a press conference days before the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City, where speakers criticized Zohran Mamdani for associating with a Twitch streamer who once declared, “America deserved 9/11.” Steps from Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan, Cuomo stood alongside Sal Tururici, a longtime Fire Department of New York City (FDNY) emergency medical technician (EMT) and 9/11 first responder who was later diagnosed with terminal cancer. “I am calling on Zohran Mamdani to disavow Hasan Piker and his hateful words. His association with Hasan Piker disqualifies him to serve in any role for New York City, let alone one as important as mayor,” Tururici’s wife, Wendi, who became an EMT following 9/11, said during Tuesday’s press conference. MAMDANI, CUOMO CLASH OVER WHO IS BETTER AT SUPPORTING LAW ENFORCEMENT AFTER MANHATTAN MASS SHOOTING The Cuomo campaign displayed posters of Mamdani and Piker posing together from earlier this year, as well as an image of Piker from his Twitch stream, where he claimed in 2019 that “America deserved 9/11.” The Mamdani campaign responded in a statement, “Andrew Cuomo knows exactly what he’s doing. He’s holding a press conference to suggest that Zohran Mamdani — who is poised to become New York’s first Muslim mayor — somehow supported 9/11. It’s vile, it’s dangerous, and it’s deliberate.” The Mamdani campaign argued that Cuomo has “used Muslims as convenient punching bags for decades.” “New Yorkers can see this for what it is — a cynical attempt to recycle the ugliest playbook in our politics. Cuomo is not protecting the memory of 9/11 victims; he’s once again desecrating it by weaponizing grief and pain for his own ambition,” the campaign added. Piker himself echoed the Mamdani campaign’s rebuttal during his livestream on Tuesday, Mediaite reported. “These guys are incredibly desperate, and they’ll get even more racist as the election nears,” Piker said, arguing that Cuomo is “leaning on Islamophobia.” ADAMS, CUOMO TRADE JABS IN INTERVIEWS AS DEMS-TURNED-INDEPENDENTS COURT ANTI-MAMDANI VOTE Piker has attempted to clarify his comments since they went viral in 2019, acknowledging it was “inappropriate.” But Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., cited Piker’s comments in a letter to Twitch executives last year, urging them to “stop popularizing those who popularize antisemitism.” After Mamdani appeared on Piker’s Twitch stream earlier this year, he told Politico, “I am willing to speak to each and every person about this campaign, and I’ve said that from the beginning.” Cuomo did not address Piker’s comments directly during Tuesday’s press conference, but Wendi Tururici said Mamdani’s association with Piker is not just politics, but “life and death.” The Tururici family endorsed Cuomo’s New York City mayoral campaign on Tuesday. “This is not just politics, this is personal,” Cuomo said. “Sal’s story is a reminder of why this work matters. Those benefits saved lives and honored sacrifice. Leadership is about life and death, protecting New Yorkers, doing the hard work, and delivering when it matters most.” Cuomo’s press conference was hosted just eight weeks before Election Day, as The New York Times/Siena College poll conducted from Sept. 2–6 and released Tuesday morning revealed that the former governor is trailing Mamdani by 22 points. The Cuomo campaign also confirmed to Fox News Digital on Tuesday two new hires in the final sprint to Election Day — veteran Democratic campaign strategist Greg Goldner and Democratic pollster Cornell Belcher.
Lawmakers to mark 9/11 at Ground Zero as New York remains a bullseye for terror threats
FIRST ON FOX: A bipartisan group of lawmakers from the House Homeland Security Committee is visiting Ground Zero in New York City to commemorate the 24th anniversary of 9/11 on Thursday, Fox News Digital has learned. New York remains in terrorism’s crosshairs, and members from the House Homeland Security Committee have sounded the alarm on potential threats the U.S. continues to face – especially as the U.S. gears up to host upcoming large-scale events like the FIFA World Cup next year. Rep. Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, will lead a cohort of lawmakers on the committee to visit Ground Zero on Thursday, according to a committee aide. The lawmakers are also slated to lay flowers at the memorial before thanking first responders, and also participate in a staff-led tour of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum on Thursday evening. TRUMP ADMIN REINSTATES 9/11 SURVIVORS PROGRAM STAFF FOLLOWING HHS REORGANIZATION PLAN “Twenty-four years later, it’s critical to remember that [the Department of Homeland Security] and the Committee on Homeland Security were created in the aftermath of one of the darkest days in our nation’s history,” Garbarino said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “As a lifelong New Yorker and a proud Long Islander, ‘Never Forget’ is about more than remembrance; it is a call to action that guides my work every day, and it will continue to guide the Committee’s.” “More than two decades later, our nation still faces heightened and evolving threats from foreign terrorist organizations and homegrown violent extremists, and New York remains a top terror target,” Garbarino said. The Justice Department’s research and technology agency, the National Institute of Justice, determined in 2023 that New York City had the highest number of attempted or actual terror incidents in the country. Members of the committee have spearheaded legislation seeking to address these persistent terrorist threats. For example, Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, reintroduced legislation in February known as the Countering Online Radicalization and Terrorism Act, which would require DHS to conduct assessments each year evaluating the threat terrorist groups like ISIS and Hamas pose to the U.S. through the use of foreign cloud-based mobile or desktop messaging applications. TRUMP TO ATTEND YANKEES GAME IN NEW YORK ON 24TH ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11 ATTACKS Other lawmakers from the committee expected to attend the site visit to Ground Zero are the committee’s top Democrat, Bennie Thompson from Mississippi, as well as Reps. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa., LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., Tim Kennedy, D-N.Y., and Puerto Rico’s resident commissioner, Pablo José Hernández. A bipartisan group of committee members on Friday will also visit the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, where the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held. Members from the White House’s FIFA World Cup Task Force, including New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s son, Andrew Giuliani, will also join the lawmakers to examine security preparations for the event, according to a committee aide. Andrew Giuliani is leading the White House’s task force. President Donald Trump will mark the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks at the Pentagon by delivering remarks at the annual observance ceremony. He will also attend a private memorial led by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine honoring the 184 victims. TRUMP ANNOUNCES KENNEDY CENTER AS FIFA WORLD CUP DRAW VENUE WHILE PRAISING DC CRIME CRACKDOWN DHS is coordinating securing the games for the World Cup, along with other upcoming events like the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, and the U.S.’ 250th anniversary in 2026. Meanwhile, the House Homeland Security’s Committee Task Force on Special Events is providing oversight of these security efforts. “This important meeting will help inform the Committee’s ongoing efforts to ensure DHS can help keep Americans and visitors safe during upcoming international events on U.S. soil, including the 2028 Olympics,” Garbarino said. “America can never again be caught off guard by its enemies.”
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.