Federal prosecutors raised red flag 14 days before Charlie Kirk assassination
Researchers are sounding the alarm about a rise in “assassination culture” — the same thing Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk warned of months before a sniper’s bullet took his life as he spoke in front of a crowd of students on a Utah college campus last week.
The Network Contagion Research Institute and the Rutgers University Social Perception Lab teamed up in a recent intelligence report on the issue, warning that arsons targeting Tesla cars and the idea of “killing billionaires” has become a “meme aesthetic for political violence” — especially among the far-left.
“Political violence targeting Donald Trump and Elon Musk is becoming increasingly normalized,” researchers warned, citing the attempt on Trump’s life during a campaign rally last year. “Following the July 13, 2024, attempted assassination of President Trump, tolerance — and even advocacy — for political violence appears to have surged, especially among politically left-leaning segments of the population.”
JUDGE DROPS TERROR CHARGE AGAINST LUIGI MANGIONE AS POLICE WARN BUSINESS LEADERS OF RISING ASSASSINATION RISKS
Separately, federal prosecutors warned late last month that the accused assassin Luigi Mangione could inspire more political killings.
“Simply put, the defendant hoped to normalize the use of violence to achieve ideological or political objectives,” federal prosecutors wrote in a memo to the court dated Aug. 27.
Two weeks later, a sniper shot and killed Turning Point USA founder and conservative speaker Charlie Kirk as he held the mic at an event in the courtyard of Utah Valley University, some 2,200 miles away from where Mangione is accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on the streets of New York City.
‘GRADUALLY AND THEN SUDDENLY’: REAGAN SPEECHWRITER TALKS POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN AFTERMATH OF KIRK’S DEATH
At the Manhattan crime scene, police found bullet casings with words written on them in an apparent reference to a book critical of the health insurance industry. In Orem, Utah, police recovered the suspected murder weapon —a Mauser .30-06 — with etchings on the bullets loaded inside.
The NCRI-Rutgers study found alarming support for assassinations in a survey, identified psychological red flags and warned that online platforms help spread “radical ideation.”
“The findings underscore the erosion of democratic norms and the growing acceptability of political violence in American discourse, particularly among ideologically extreme communities online,” researchers wrote.
Recent episodes of targeted violence:
- Sept. 10, 2025: A sniper fired a single shot at Charlie Kirk during a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Wednesday around noon. The bullet fatally struck him in the neck as he was speaking with a spectator in the campus courtyard in front of thousands of people. Authorities arrested 22-year-old Tyler Robinson 33 hours later.
- July 28, 2025: Just 44 days before Kirk’s assassination, a gunman from Nevada stormed into the Blackstone building on Park Avenue in Manhattan, apparently outraged at the NFL, and killed four people. They were off-duty NYPD Officer Didarul Islam, 36, whose pregnant wife was expecting their third child at the time; Wesley LePatner, 43, an executive at Blackstone and a mother of two; Aland Etienne, 46, a security guard and father of two; and Julia Hyman, 27, an employee of the Rudin Management Company. A fifth victim was also injured. Police said they found the perpetrator, 27-year-old Shane Tamura, dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on the 33rd floor.
- Dec. 4, 2024: UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot in the back by a masked gunman on surveillance video outside a New York City hotel where his company was supposed to hold an investor conference later that morning. Police in Altoona, Pennsylvania, arrested suspect Luigi Mangione five days later, allegedly in possession of the murder weapon and writings critical of the health insurance industry.
- July 13, 2024: A sniper fired multiple shots at a campaign rally for then-candidate Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. Firefighter Corey Comperatore died. He was a father of two girls. Two other spectators survived gunshot wounds. And Trump narrowly escaped serious injury when a bullet grazed his ear. Counter-snipers shot and killed the gunman, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Crooks. Trump was separately targeted in a second failed attempt. Suspect Ryan Routh is currently on trial.
CHARLIE KIRK’S ASSASSINATION LATEST CASE OF CONSERVATIVES BEING TARGETED FOR MURDER
The NCRI report was published in April — months before Kirk was shot and killed while speaking at a Turning Point USA-sponsored event at Utah Valley University in Orem.
According to survey data highlighted in the report, more than 30% of respondents said it would be “at least somewhat justified to murder” prominent billionaires. The number rose to 50% for people who self-identified as “left of center.”
It also looked into another high-profile recent assassination — the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson late last year.
Surveillance video shows a masked gunman approach Thompson, a 50-year-old father of two, from behind outside a Manhattan hotel and fire a silenced handgun repeatedly.
Authorities later arrested Mangione, a 26-year-old former Ivy Leaguer from a wealthy Maryland family.
CHARLIE KIRK WARNED ‘ASSASSINATION CULTURE IS SPREADING ON THE LEFT’ IN EERIE ONLINE POST MONTHS BEFORE MURDER
WATCH: Luigi Mangione supporters cheer dropped terror charge
“References to Luigi Mangione now function as coded endorsements of political violence, cloaked in irony, memeification, and plausible deniability,” the new report reads.
Mangione has also attracted fervent supporters online and in person at his court proceedings. On Tuesday, a group of them carrying “jury nullification” and “Free Luigi” signs, many dressed up like Nintendo’s Luigi character, cheered aloud after learning that a judge had thrown out terrorism charges against him, which carried a potential punishment of life without parole.
In New York state, he now faces a top charge of second-degree murder, which carries a maximum sentence of life with the possibility of parole. He is also facing federal charges and another case in Pennsylvania, where police arrested him — allegedly in possession of the murder weapon, a silencer and a fake ID.
CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION: TIMELINE OF UTAH CAMPUS SHOOTING DETAILS ATTACK, MANHUNT FOR SUSPECT
At the scene of Thompson’s murder, outside a hotel where he was supposed to attend an investor conference later that morning, police said they found bullet casings with messages written on them that are believed to have been critical of the health insurance industry.
WATCH: Supporters of Luigi Mangione Leave Court
Before Utah police captured 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, the suspected assassin behind the shooting of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk last week, police recovered the suspected murder weapon, loaded with rounds with more etchings on their casings — including online memes and references to fighting fascism.
Robinson is accused of firing a single shot, which struck Kirk in the neck in front of a courtyard packed with UVU students and other spectators. He was arrested 33 hours after the slaying, when authorities said his father persuaded him to turn himself in.
Kirk, like Thompson, was also a father of two. He was speaking at Utah Valley University Wednesday at an event sponsored by the campus chapter of Turning Point USA, the conservative youth group he founded.
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Authorities have ramped up security measures in the wake of Kirk’s murder. The NYPD reportedly issued a threat assessment warning that business leaders, political figures and other public personalities may be at increased risk for assassination, and the Trump administration asked Congress Monday for nearly $60 million in additional executive and judicial branch security funding.
Researchers urged “political and cultural leadership” to condemn the violence. They also called for continued monitoring of the apparent trend.
Gavin Newsom’s trans athlete crisis grows as Muslim family makes explosive claims
California high school senior Hadeel Hazameh believes she was brainwashed.
For the previous three school years, she had to watch biological male athletes finish ahead of her in at least seven track and field events. But things got even harder during the volleyball season, when she had to share a locker room with a biological male transgender teammate.
She put her inner feelings and religious duties aside to tolerate it.
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“I shouldn’t have had to be scared to change in the women’s locker room. I’m not allowed to show my hair or my body to biological males, and I shouldn’t have had to deal with that. I should have had those privacy rights since the second I walked into the locker room since my freshman year,” Hazameh, a practicing Muslim, told Fox News Digital.
“I wish they would just understand there’s some things I just can not do because of my religious faith… there’s stuff I just can’t do and I wish I had more privacy protecting those rights.”
Now, she’s taking action.
Hazameh, in her final season, has stepped away from her team at Jurupa Valley High School and joined a lawsuit with her family against the Jurupa Unified School District (JUSD), the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) and California Department of Education (CDE).
But even though he is not listed as a defendant on the lawsuit, Hazameh is also placing blame on the shoulders of Governor Gavin Newsom for what she has had to endure in high school.
Newsom has, on multiple occasions now, said he believes males competing in girls’ sports is unfair. Yet, under his leadership, nothing has been done to prevent it.
“If our governor himself says that it’s unfair, then he’s the one who should act on it… he should be the one to stand up, it shouldn’t have to be girls like me,” Hazameh said. “What are you here to do?”
Hazameh’s teammate Alyssa McPherson, a practicing Catholic who has also argued her religious liberties have been infringed upon, is a plaintiff in the lawsuit as well.
“I’ve always known that it wasn’t quite right… it didn’t feel right,” McPherson said, later adding that she believes the issue will affect the decisions of young voters in the state’s gubernatorial election next year.
“I definitely think this will be a big factor that people will consider.”
Maribel Munoz is the mother of McPherson and former Jurupa Valley volleyball player Madison McPherson, who is also a plaintiff in the lawsuit. Munoz is one of many Southern California parents who has been trying to confront the issue at her child’s school for years. But current California policy has put up a stonewall.
“They’re completely disregarding our girls,” Munoz told Fox News Digital of the state government. “Having a boy on the team just makes it so difficult… our government, they’re not supporting our kids.”
When Munoz tried to make complaints directly to the school, she says she was told the issue was “above their pay grade.”
“Last year I complained about many issues to athletic administrators, vice principal, principal and even our superintendent. If I wasn’t ignored, I was told it was above their pay grade,” Munoz said.
So far, four schools have already been confirmed to have forfeited to Jurupa Valley this season amid controversy involving the trans athlete. The first school that publicly announced it would do so was Riverside Poly High School back in August.
Fred Brayton, the father of a Riverside Polly player, told Fox News Digital that he also blames Newsom for years of devotion by young female athletes going to waste.
“Girls devote years of hard work to earn opportunities in athletics, and California’s policies under Governor Newsom have created situations where those opportunities are being put at risk. If sports are divided by sex to protect fairness, why are we treating gender identity as the deciding factor?” Brayton said.
“By defining participation based solely on gender identity, the state has chosen inclusion for a few at the expense of fairness for many. Protecting the intent of Title IX and the rights of biological girls is not about exclusion — it’s about ensuring that fairness, safety, and opportunity remain at the heart of athletics.”
The JUSD has directly encouraged critics to take up the issue with government officials and lawmakers, in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.
“School districts do not write laws for the state of California, nor do they have the power to ignore them or change them. However, as primarily state-funded agencies, they are required to follow them. As these issues play out in our courts and the media, any advocacy on these matters should be directed at state and federal officials elected to make laws and policies that affect public education,” the statement read.
California’s trans volleyball player issue does not end at the high school level
Santa Rosa Junior College was thrust into its own controversy involving a transgender player on its women’s volleyball team when three players filed a Title IX complaint about it in the first week of September.
Santa Rosa sophomore Madison Shaw told Fox News Digital that the trans player allegedly caused a concussion to a female athlete with a spike to the head. Fellow Santa Rosa women’s player Gracie Shaw says she herself was also hit in the head with one of the trans athlete’s spikes.
The issue of trans athletes in women’s volleyball has prompted unique scrutiny due to the potential for head injuries. The awareness for this grew after former North Carolina high school volleyball player Payton McNabb suffered permanent brain damage after being spiked in the head by a trans opponent in 2022.
Madison Shaw is also asking why Newsom hasn’t done anything to stop this.
“Gavin Newsom already said this is unfair. But we’re not going to do anything about it? For him to acknowledge that this is unfair, really means that there should be change. We should uphold our Title IX rights,” Madison Shaw said.
Like Jurupa Valley, Santa Rosa Junior College has deferred blame for the situation to the California laws they have to follow.
“The District complies with California Community College Athletic Association (3C2A) regulations, which govern student eligibility and participation in our athletic programs,” read a statement provided to Fox News Digital by a school spokesperson. The school has not responded to Madison and Gracie Shaw’s allegations that the trans athlete spiked the ball into female players’ heads and caused a concussion to one of them.
The Trump administration is slowly cracking down
California has faced a lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Justice for letting males in girls’ sports since July.
On top of that, one of the state’s public universities, San Jose State, is under a Title IX investigation by the U.S. Department of Education for a scandal involving a transgender player that erupted last fall.
SJSU receives the majority of its operating budget from state appropriation, with state funding accounting for approximately 52% of its total budget, per the university.
Former SJSU player Blaire Fleming, a biological male, played for the university for three seasons. A lawsuit led by former co-captain Brooke Slusser alleges the university withheld Fleming’s birth sex from her and other teammates, and that Fleming conspired with an opponent to have Slusser spiked in the face during a match, after Slusser brought public attention to the situation.
U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon previously told Fox News Digital the investigation into SJSU “will continue” in an interview in early July. Then in early August, DOJ and the White House sent further warnings after Fox News Digital reported that a conference investigation into Fleming’s allegations of conspiring to have Slusser harmed was carried out by the same law firm that is defending the Mountain West against Slusser’s lawsuit, which included those same allegations.
EX-SJSU STAR BROOKE SLUSSER MAKES NEW ALLEGATIONS ABOUT PROBE INTO TRANS TEAMMATE’S ALLEGED PLOT TO HARM HER
Slusser fled the campus, and the entire state, back in February. She has since started a new life in North Carolina. Slusser recently told Fox News Digital she is now working as a girls’ junior varsity volleyball coach at a North Carolina high school, and as a coach at a local youth club.
And from a distance, Slusser is also serving as an inspiration for many of the young women volleyball players in California who are speaking out against the state’s current practices.
Jurupa Valley’s Hazameh and McPherson, and Santa Rosa’s Madison and Gracie Shaw, were all sharing their courts and locker rooms with biological males back in fall 2024, all while the scandal at SJSU gradually escalated and gained national attention. They all paid attention to the situation unfolding at San Jose at the time.
And this fall, they all cite Slusser as an inspiration for their recent decisions to stand up to their own teams and coaches.
“She was one of the factors,” Hazameh said of Slusser.
Madison Shaw added, “When Blaire was hitting a ball, Brooke was saying how much harder and how much force is behind that ball… I could say the same from experience watching our male athlete on our team spike the ball.”
Slusser said she advises those young women to “keep to their faith,” as they challenge their schools and state officials on the issue.
“Those are people’s basic morals. Those are the things that people live by, and I think people trying to say that we’re not allowed to speak up about our beliefs and what we believe in and our faith is so wrong,” Slusser said. “Just know that your steps are firm, and I think it’s very important that the adults that are coaching these young ladies know that.”
As someone who went to college in California for nearly two years, Slusser believes Newsom should shoulder “all” the blame for trans athlete inclusion affecting girls’ and women’s volleyball teams.
“He should have to shoulder all of it,” Slusser said of Newsom. “He could change it if he wanted to and he hasn’t.”
Slusser said she has no plans to step foot back in the state of California until there are changes within the state.
“I’m so traumatized from my time in California, I just don’t have a need or a want to ever go back… but honestly until there’s some changes made to the state of California I don’t see a reason why anyone would want to be there.”
Newsom’s response
Newsom’s office provided a statement to Fox News Digital in response to the complaints by athletes and parents, suggesting the responsibility falls on the CIF, CDE and state legislature, but not on him.
“CIF is an independent nonprofit that governs high school sports. The California Department of Education is a separate constitutional office. Neither is under the Governor’s authority. CIF and the CDE have stated they follow existing state law — a law that was passed in 2013 and signed by Governor Jerry Brown (not Newsom) and in line with 21 other states. For the law to change, the legislature would need to send the Governor a bill. They have not,” the statement read.
The CIF has not responded to Fox News Digital’s requests for response.
A CDE spokesperson told Fox News Digital, “The California Department of Education cannot comment on this matter, as we cannot comment on pending litigation.”
On April 1, the California state legislature blocked two bills that would reverse the current law which allows males in girls’ sports.
Every Democrat voted against it, with Assembly member Rick Chavez Zbur arguing that one of the bills “is really reminiscent to me of what happened in Nazi Germany in the 1930s. We are moving towards autocracy in this country. In Nazi Germany, transgender people were persecuted, barred from public life.”
Zbur said this while in the presence of a descendant of a holocaust survivor, who had to excuse herself from the chamber, according to GOP Assembly member Kate Sanchez.
“She stood up and left because she was just so disgusted with the comparison,” Sanchez told Fox News Digital.
Newsom made no public statement at the time encouraging any of his fellow Democrats to support the bill. At that point, Newsom had already made his first public statements disputing the “fairness” of trans athletes in girls’ and women’s sports, in the first episode of his podcast after he was pressed on the issue by the late Charlie Kirk.
Fox News Digital asked Newsom’s office if the governor would condemn Zbur’s statement, but that inquiry has not been responded to.
Newsom’s office provided a transcript of an apparent exchange between him and a reporter on April 2, the day after the bills were blocked, in which the governor said he “didn’t pay any attention” to the bills. He added that he was preoccupied with Los Angeles wildfire recovery.
“Well, I didn’t pay any attention to the committee yesterday. I was, literally, spent most of the day talking about LA fire recovery with our teams. And progress is being made there, by the way, but we’re starting to run up into some of those ‘abundance’ conversations around permitting that’s already starting to take shape, where most of my focus was yesterday,” Newsom said when asked about the failed vote and the general issue of males in girls’ sports.
Then in July, Newsom spoke about the issue in an interview on the “Shawn Ryan Show” saying he has been “amazingly frustrated by it” and that he regularly encounters parents who are angry about the state’s policies at his children’s soccer games.
“Every parent coming up says, ‘It’s so unfair.’ Like ‘Whoa,’ like everywhere I went, progressively-minded people, not bigots, that are champions of trans policy like I am, but didn’t like the sports. They were like ‘come on man, you got to figure this out,’” Newsom said.
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Newsom added that his allies in the LGBTQ caucus were “furious” with him after he made his initial comments in March while speaking to Kirk, and even recalled an alleged conversation with President Donald Trump about it.
“Trump is having the time of his life, and I assure you he is because we’ve had conversations on this topic, he says ‘you got abortion, I got this.’ He told me that, on my mother’s grave,” Newsom said.
“And now he’s suing and threatening us, and they’re just, and you know, I’m the poster child,” Newsom added. “But I do think we have to address that issue.”
Former ESPN host faces backlash for mourning conservative figure’s assassination
Former ESPN host Samantha Ponder revealed on social media she’s received “disturbing” messages after she expressed her sorrow for the death of Charlie Kirk last week.
Ponder, who also spoke about her concerns for safety while riding the New York City subway following the stabbing death of Iryna Zarutska, wrote on X that her direct messages have increasingly gotten worse since mourning the loss of the 31-year-old conservative influencer.
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“My DMs are more disturbing than ever (and trust me, that’s sayin something). Apparently only perfect people can be mourned when they’re murdered in their 30s with a wife and young children,” she wrote. “When a man is shot, debating opinions with anyone for all to see, he must align with our chosen dogma perfectly. If not, he had it coming/shouldn’t have said those mean things, so you should shut up about it.
“How can we see someone post about sadness over the death of ANYONE they cared about, even someone we think was flawed, and say “Stop being sad about them. I didn’t like their opinions.” Mourn with those who mourn. If I ever see hypocrisy, let me see it in myself. God forbid every word we’ve ever spoken be the prerequisite for sympathy when we die.”
Kirk was assassinated at an event on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem. Tyler Robinson was charged in his killing.
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Ponder was among the sports figures who spoke out about Kirk’s death and mourning for his family and loved ones.
“I feel changed by this. At first, admittedly, more fearful,” she wrote on Thursday. “But as I consider what’s at stake for our country and our children, I am emboldened to speak the truth with love even more.
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“I spent so much of my professional career as a coward… shamefully afraid to say true things because it might jeopardize my position. One of the great things about having no ‘position’ anymore is the realization that a platform is actually useless without courage. I mourn for Charlie’s family. I mourn for our country. But I have renewed hope that many, like me, will find the courage to lovingly speak the truth boldly in the public square, as he often did.”
Dearborn mayor tells Christian resident ‘you are not welcome here’ at city council meeting
At a Dearborn City Council meeting last week, Mayor Abdullah H. Hammoud told local resident Edward “Ted” Barham, a Christian, that he was “not welcome” in the city after Barham raised concerns about new street signs honoring Arab American News publisher Osama Siblani.
FOX 2 Detroit reported that the signs honoring Siblani were placed at intersections on Warren Avenue by Wayne County, not the City of Dearborn. But the mayor escalated the debate, telling Barham, “Although you live here, you are not welcome here.”
Barham introduced himself as “Ted Barham, Dearborn resident,” and objected to two intersections being renamed after Siblani.
He said, “He’s a promoter of Hezbollah and Hamas” before quoting past remarks from Siblani, including, “He talks about how the blood of the martyrs irrigates the land of Palestine … whether we are in Michigan and whether we are in Yemen. Believe me, everyone should fight within his means. They will fight with stones, others will fight with guns, others fight with planes, drones, and rockets.”
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Barham compared the signs to naming a road “Hezbollah Street or Hamas Street,” calling them “provocative” and stressing that as a Christian, he wanted to encourage peace. He closed by quoting Jesus: “Blessed are the peacemakers.”
Council members interjected, warning Barham against “personal attacks” and reminding him that the city had no control over the county’s decision.
One clarified, “The sign that was placed on Warren Avenue which is a County road and that was done by the Wayne County Executive.” But Barham maintained that the issue mattered to Dearborn residents because the signs stood in their city.
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Mayor Hammoud responded with remarks that shocked many in attendance. “The best suggestion I have for you is to not drive on Warren Avenue or to close your eyes while you’re doing it. His name is up there and I spoke at a ceremony celebrating it because he’s done a lot for this community,” Hammoud said.
He went further, accusing Barham of being “a bigot, and you are racist, and you’re an Islamophobe,” before declaring: “Although you live here, I want you to know as mayor, you are not welcome here. And the day you move out of the city will be the day that I launch a parade celebrating the fact that you moved out of this city.”
The controversy stems from Wayne County’s decision to honor Siblani with street signs in August.
FOX 2 Detroit reported the county commission approved the designation, not the city council. Hammoud and other local officials attended a ceremony celebrating the unveiling.
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Fox News Digital reached out to Mayor Hammoud’s office and Siblani for comment but did not receive a response at the time of publication. Efforts to reach Ted Barham by phone were also unsuccessful.
Dearborn, the city with America’s highest-percentage Muslim population, has long navigated debate over cultural and political identity. For many average residents, the moment captured in City Hall begged the question of whether elected officials are willing to listen to all voices or only those they choose to celebrate.
‘I hate him’: Explosive texts revealed as gun seller takes stand in Trump case
The Justice Department plans to call a fresh lineup of witnesses Wednesday as the federal trial of Ryan Routh, accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf club in 2024, enters its eighth day.
Prosecutors told the court they expect testimony from Ronnie Jay Oxendine, the man who allegedly sold Routh the rifle tied to the case, as well as multiple FBI agents and specialists. The list includes Patrick M. Lantry, a task force officer with the FBI; Aaron Thompson; Matthew S. Perry, an FBI special agent; Garett L. Foo, an FBI special agent; and Laura E. Haller, an FBI special agent and digital forensic examiner.
Also scheduled are Lazaro and Samuel Plata, whose testimony will be aided by two Spanish-English translators in the courtroom.
FBI PHONE EXTRACTIONS, DNA TESTIMONY HEADLINE DAY 7 OF RYAN ROUTH TRIAL
Tuesday’s proceedings centered on forensic evidence from Routh’s alleged phones and DNA. Jurors saw WhatsApp messages and texts allegedly recovered from Routh’s seized devices, including one exchange where Routh wrote, “I hate him… shan’t get elected again,” referring to Trump. Another message read, “If I can help just let me know what to do.”
TRUMP TRIAL CONTINUES WITH MORE FBI TESTIMONY AFTER RIFLE CALLED ‘PREPARED TO FIRE’
FBI experts also testified that Routh’s DNA was strongly linked to the rifle grip, a bag, a glove and other items prosecutors say were found in the alleged sniper’s nest. Trump-appointed Judge Aileen Cannon kept a tight rein on the pace of testimony, pressing prosecutors to shorten questioning and reminding Routh — who is representing himself — to stop interrupting.
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With prosecutors expected to rest their case by the end of the week, Wednesday’s testimony could prove pivotal as jurors weigh the government’s evidence against the self-represented defendant who will bring his witnesses forward beginning next week.
Caribbean stop suspended on major cruise line amid kidnapping threat to Americans
Royal Caribbean Cruises has canceled scheduled visits to a private port in Haiti until next spring.
The cruise line has a stop in Labadee, which is located on the northern coast.
A Royal Caribbean Group spokesperson told Fox News Digital that “out of an abundance of caution, we have paused our upcoming visits through April 2026.”
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The spokesperson added, “We are communicating with our guests directly.”
The U.S. Department of State moved Haiti’s travel advisory to a “Do Not Travel” country on Jul. 15.
“Do not travel to Haiti due to kidnapping, crime, terrorist activity, civil unrest, and limited health care,” reads the advisory.
American citizens have been victims, with the State Department writing that kidnappers “demand ransoms” and “victims’ families have paid tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
Royal Caribbean lists 41 itineraries on its website, including stops in Labadee.
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“Here, you’ll find pristine sands, coral reefs and jungle-covered hilltops nestling lagoon-like bays,” the site says. “There’s no shortage of places to relax and recharge across five stretches of beach.”
It says that the “fascinating culture, history and the natural beauty of Haiti’s spectacular coasts wait to be discovered around every corner. Escape to the Western Caribbean for a wilder way to experience paradise.”
In January, AAA released its first-ever “Cruise Travel Forecast.”
It projects that 19 million Americans plan to take cruises this year.
Stewart Chiron, a Miami-based cruise industry expert known as “The Cruise Guy,” told Fox News Digital that “2025 is another record year.”
Chiron said he sees demand surging in the Caribbean, Alaska and Europe.
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The cruise forecast report found that 72% of passengers are heading to Caribbean destinations in search of sunny vacation times.
Suspect captured after slamming car into FBI field office gate in ‘targeted’ attack
A man drove a car into a metal gate at the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office early Wednesday in what authorities described as an intentional “act of terror.”
The suspect, identified as Donald Henson of Penn Hills, Pennsylvania, allegedly rammed an entrance gate at around 2:40 a.m. with a white Toyota sedan before getting out and then grabbing an American flag from inside the vehicle and throwing it over the gate, FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Giordano said at a press briefing.
Henson fled on foot after the crash and was considered dangerous, Giordano added. He was apprehended hours later, the FBI confirmed to Fox News.
It was not immediately clear if he was armed while on the loose. No FBI personnel were hurt.
FBI’S TRUMP PROBE ‘ARCTIC FROST’ ALSO INVESTIGATED CHARLIE KIRK’S TPUSA, GRASSLEY REVEALS
“We look at this as an act of terror against the FBI,” Giordano said, per CBS. “This was a targeted attack on this building.”
Authorities said Henson, a former military member, may have been experiencing a mental health issue.
“Right now, he is wanted in connection with this crime against the FBI,” Giordano added. “It is a federal offense and we will be seeking prosecution to the fullest extent.”
FBI INVESTIGATING LEFTIST GROUPS FOR POSSIBLE TIES TO CHARLIE KIRK’S ASSASSINATION: SOURCE
Giordano said that Henson visited the Pittsburgh office recently.
“In scouring our indexes, we did find that he visited the field office a couple of weeks ago to make a complaint that didn’t make a whole lot of sense,” Giordano said. “We ran down everything that he came down with. It didn’t have a federal nexus. We contacted him to let him know there wasn’t a federal offense that we were able to charge.”
Images from the scene showed a white sedan sitting with its driver’s door ajar in front of the bent gate and a security booth. The car’s hazard lights were flashing.
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Nakeisha Brown, who works nearby, told WTAE she witnessed the incident and first heard the screeching of tires. She then saw the aftermath of the collision and a man who got out of the vehicle.
“He got out and went around the passenger side and pulled something out of the passenger side,” Brown said. “I thought it was a gun, but it happened to be a flag and he just set it on that fence and started yelling out some words and just took off.”