Turning Point USA receives 62,000+ requests for new high school, college chapters
Turning Point USA
announced Friday that it “has received 62,000+ requests from high school and college students nationwide to start a chapter or get involved with an existing chapter.”
The reported surge in interest comes after Charlie Kirk was assassinated at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, Sept. 10.
Andrew Kolvet, executive producer of “The Charlie Kirk Show,” told Fox News Digital earlier this week that Turning Point USA currently has 900 official college chapters and approximately 1,200 high school chapters.
Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012. After his death, the board unanimously elected his widow, Erika Kirk, to succeed him as CEO and Chair of the Board.
Fox News Digital’s Amanda Macias contributed to this report.
Federal law enforcement agencies are monitoring for threats ahead of Charlie Kirk’s memorial service in Arizona this weekend, according to a new report.
They are “tracking several threats of unknown credibility,” according to a law enforcement bulletin obtained by ABC News.
“Violent extremists and unaffiliated lone offenders may view the memorial service or related events as attractive attack targets due to the attendance of these individuals, other senior U.S. government officials, state and local government officials, and political activists and due to major international media attention,” the memo reportedly says.
Federal authorities have long warned about potential lone wolf attackers.
“The U.S. Secret Service has been designated as the Federal Coordinator for this effort. Our teams are already on the ground in Phoenix and Glendale, working side-by-side with state, local and federal partners,” the U.S. Secret Service’s Special Agent in Charge of Phoenix William Mack said in a statement. “Together, we are fully committed to ensuring that these solemn events receive the comprehensive protection and support they require.”
The Department of Homeland Security also designated the funeral as a Special Event Assessment Rating Level 1, “reserved for events of the highest national significance” and the same severity as the Super Bowl.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters following the passage of a resolution honoring Charlie Kirk that, “Sadly, a number of Democrats” couldn’t find it in themselves to vote in favor of it.
The resolution honoring Kirk passed the House on Friday by a 310-58 vote. All those who voted against were Democrats.
“We passed a resolution to honor the life and legacy of Charlie Kirk. My late friend, the friend of so many in this chamber. And we called out political violence in America. In fact, I want to read with you the final line of this resolution, because I think it’s something that the American people are eager to hear,” Johnson said.
“It says this, ‘the House of Representatives calls upon all Americans to reject political violence, recommit to respectful debate, uphold American values, and respect one another as fellow Americans,’” Johnson said.
“Sadly, a number of Democrats could not bring themselves to vote for that,” Johnson added.
The House of Representatives passed a resolution Friday to honor late conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The resolution passed by a vote of 310-58, with 38 voting present. All Republicans who voted were a “yes.” Ninety-five Democrats voted in favor of the resolution.
Notably, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., voted in favor of the resolution, while progressive “Squad” member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., was among the 58 Democrats to vote against honoring Kirk, representing a divide within the Democratic Party.
The resolution to honor Kirk, led by Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., lauded Kirk
as “one of the most prominent voices in America, engaging in respectful, civil discourse across college campuses, media platforms and national forums, always seeking to elevate truth, foster understanding and strengthen the Republic.”
It also said Kirk’s “commitment to civil discussion and debate stood as a model for young Americans across the political spectrum, and he worked tirelessly to promote unity without compromising on conviction.” It called his killing “a sobering reminder of the growing threat posed by political extremism and hatred in our society.”
Fox News’ Tyler Olson and Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
Andrew Kolvet, executive producer of “The Charlie Kirk Show” and a close friend of Charlie Kirk, is calling out Paramount
for pulling reruns of a South Park episode parodying the conservative activist, who was shot and killed on Sept. 10.
Kolvet argued that Kirk would have wanted the episode to remain on air, noting that he “loved” being featured in the long-running show.
“Hey @paramountplus, as someone who can speak with some authority on this, Charlie loved that he was featured in South Park. He told me many times,” Kolvet wrote on X.
Comedy Central pulled the episode from its cable rotation hours after Kirk was shot and killed while speaking to students at Utah Valley University. Kirk, the co-founder of Turning Point USA, leaves behind a wife and two children.
Kolvet urged Paramount, which owns Comedy Central, to reinstate the episode, saying it carried personal meaning for Kirk.
“He would want the episode back up,” he wrote.
A Paramount spokesperson said the episode would not be airing on Comedy Central’s linear rotation but noted it is still available on demand and on Paramount+.
Though a man of God, Brantley Gilbert is struggling with faith and forgiveness following the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, the country star opened up about the “anger” he feels following Kirk’s “senseless” murder and explained why he’s finding it difficult to show grace during these trying times.
“I’ll be honest, I’m trying to try to be a little careful. My wife sent me back to church and stuff, and I can say Charlie was an encouraging figure in this chapter of my life, and I’m trying to get back into that,” Gilbert said. “My wife is a lot more steadfast in her faith and shows a lot more grace than me. I’m angry man, I’m still angry.”
“I know my belief in Christianity encourages me to show love and show that to my brothers and sisters, and I’m having a hard time with that right now,” he continued. “I’ve always been one to try to keep my platform geared towards supporting active duty members, veterans, kids. We really try to keep our messages positive.”
Fox News’ Larry Fink contributed to this report.
Thirty-three hours after Charlie Kirk was gunned down at Utah Valley University, the suspect’s parents walked with him into a sheriff’s office.
The dramatic manhunt, marked by rooftop clues and a rifle inscribed with meme-like taunts, unfolded with investigators racing to track a gunman in real time.
“Tyler knew it was just inevitable with all the law enforcement pressure,” Washington County Sheriff Nate Brooksby said after the surrender in a news conference. “He knew it was inevitable that he would be caught.”
Here is a detailed look at what prosecutors describe as the 33 hours between the shot that killed Kirk and the moment his accused assassin surrendered to authorities.
Top Christian worship singers Chris Tomlin, Brandon Lake, Phil Wickham, Kari Jobe Carnes and Cody Carnes are set to perform Sunday at Charlie Kirk’s memorial service at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
The event, which will begin at 2 p.m. ET, also will feature speeches from Erika Kirk – Charlie’s widow – President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
“Though our hearts are heavy, we do not grieve as those without hope. Charlie’s legacy endures in his family, in Turning Point USA and Turning Point Action, and in the millions he inspired to live with conviction,” reads a description of the event on its website.
“We honor him not only with our words, but with our actions. We will move forward together, fighting harder, standing taller, and refusing to surrender,” it added.
A Chicago suburb appeared divided over whether to honor Charlie Kirk
at the high school he once attended.
The debate came up during a Thursday meeting for High School District 214, which includes Wheeling High School, Kirk’s alma mater, according to WLS-TV.
The news station reported that two Change.org petitions are circulating about honoring the conservative activist at the school. One petition is in favor of doing so, while the other is not.
“I cannot support my daughter’s school system honoring a man who spread such regressive, sexist, and harmful messages,” local resident Fay Costa was quoted by WLS as saying during the board meeting. “My daughter’s education is not up for debate.”
A supporter of the memorial, Steve Byle, said to WLS, “What rationale could they possibly have for not wanting to recognize an alumnus of their school who has had more profound impact on our country’s direction than anyone in his generation?”
Superintendent Scott Rowe told the station, “While we continue to extend our deepest condolences to Charlie Kirk’s family and friends for this terrible and senseless loss, we will not hold a district-wide memorial as that would disrupt the learning environment at our schools.”
“Instead, we encourage students, faculty, staff, and families to mourn and remember Charlie Kirk together at one of the many public services and vigils that are being organized throughout the community,” he added.
The last person to interview Charlie Kirk on the morning of Sept. 10, before he was assassinated at Utah Valley University, told “FOX & Friends” that “you could hear a pin drop” when the audience was informed he was shot.
Andrew Smith, the managing partner of the Savory Fund, said Friday that he interviewed Kirk at the “Restaurantology” summit in Salt Lake City “very close” to the time he was struck by a bullet about 40 minutes away in Orem, Utah.
“We went out and told them, there [were] gasps in the audience, you could hear a pin drop. It was very, very quiet,” Smith recalled. “But it was sobering too because you’re like, ‘he was just here’… he was so light-hearted and fun, unifying. It just felt so good in that auditorium. The energy was great. And when he left, he was on top of life.”
Smith said he spoke to Kirk for about 35 minutes in front of a live audience before Kirk left with his security to head to Utah Valley University.
“If you are going through the worst of times, this too shall pass, and things are going to get better. If you are going through the best of times though, it’s really humbling, like, this too shall pass and this will fade away, cause this will not last forever,” Kirk told Smith during one point of their conversation, which highlighted entrepreneurship and faith.
“It’s a time-transcendent truth that applies towards all periods as an entrepreneur. It humbles you when you need it and builds you up when you need it, gives you hope when you need it and also gives you a little bit of a dose of a gut-check,” Kirk added.
Charlie Kirk’s memorial event Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., will have Super Bowl-level security, reports said.
“The U.S. Secret Service has been designated as the Federal Coordinator for this effort. Our teams are already on the ground in Phoenix and Glendale, working side-by-side with state, local, and federal partners,” William Mack, the special agent in charge of Secret Service’s Phoenix field office, was quoted as telling NewsNation. “Together, we are fully committed to ensuring that these solemn events receive the comprehensive protection and support they require.”
A senior Homeland Security official told The Hill that the department designated the memorial service for Kirk as a “Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR) Level 1 event.”
“This designation is reserved for events of the highest national significance and enables the federal government to provide the full range of law enforcement and security resources necessary to support local officials in ensuring a safe and successful event,” the official said.
Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance are among the scheduled speakers on Sunday.
Thousands gathered Thursday at Colorado State University in Fort Collins for the second scheduled stop in Charlie Kirk’s “The American Comeback Tour.”
Posters with the message “In Memory of Charlie Kirk” were set up on stage for the event, which unfolded at Canvas Stadium.
Images captured attendees holding up their phones with their flashlights on, in memory of Kirk, during a moment of silence.
One guest was photographed passing a sign that said “I Am Charlie Kirk” to another attendee in the crowd.
Utah Valley University is holding a “Vigil for Unity” Friday in honor of Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated at its Orem campus on Sept. 10.
The indoor event is set to take place at 6 p.m. ET at the UCCU Center, and “will provide a space for students, faculty, staff, and community members to come together in remembering, healing, and reaffirming shared values,” the university said.
“This attack was not just on an individual, but on the spirit of free expression, civil discourse, and intellectual inquiry that sits at the very foundation of our university,” Astrid Tuminez, the president of Utah Valley University, said in a statement. “The violence that occurred on our campus has shaken us deeply. We remain steadfast in our commitment to learning, dialogue, and the values that unite us, even in times of grief. Together we choose hope for the future, and care for each other during this time.”
“The Vigil for Unity is open to the public. UVU encourages all who attend to come in the spirit of peace, reflection, and mutual support,” the university added.
Two people were arrested on Thursday at a vigil in Boston for slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, as hundreds honored the Turning Point USA co-founder and advocated against political violence.
Joseph Antuan Castro Del Rio, 38, was arrested on disorderly conduct charges, according to WCVB. A juvenile male was also arrested on assault and battery charges, as well as a charge for possession of a dangerous weapon, as police said he had a knife at the time of the arrest.
A group of protesters was separated from the crowd of Kirk supporters by metal barriers, leading to some shouting, the outlet reported. The event was guarded by police who were stationed on the ground and on top of the statehouse.
Several attendees of the vigil condemned political violence in the wake of Kirk’s murder last week in Utah.
“Political violence is never okay. You can agree to disagree. Ending someone’s life is never okay,” Samantha DiGiacomo said at the event, according to WCVB.
Christian apologist and author Frank Turek was just feet away when Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk
was assassinated at Utah Valley University. In a new podcast episode, he recounted the Sept. 10 shooting and the frantic rush to the hospital where doctors pronounced the 31-year-old dead.
Kirk first reached out to Turek years ago for mentorship in Christian apologetics, Turek said in the podcast, “The Greatness of Charlie Kirk: An Eyewitness Account of His Life and Martyrdom.”
Their relationship blossomed, with Turek saying he came to consider Kirk a son.
On the morning of the event, Turek joined Kirk’s team on the car ride to Utah Valley University, discussing potential student questions and fine-tuning answers.
After making a quick stop to speak to a local entrepreneur group, the team arrived at the outdoor venue, and Kirk began taking photos with supporters and tossing hats into the large, energetic crowd.
Though Turek told Kirk he was concerned about the large number of nearby buildings and the safety risk they could pose, he said Kirk seemed confident in his private security and the local police detail.
Eager to share the excitement, Turek FaceTimed family members as he stood about 30 feet to Kirk’s right. He explained that during a question about transgender violence, he heard a single shot and watched as Kirk fell backward.
Kamala Harris says she ‘pulled the pin on a hand grenade’ with answer on ‘The View’
Former Vice President Kamala Harris noted that she was unaware that she had “pulled the pin on a hand grenade” with her response to a question while appearing on “The View” ahead of the 2024 presidential election, according to an Associated Press report about the unsuccessful candidate’s forthcoming book about her whirlwind 2024 White House campaign.
Asked whether she would have done anything differently than President Joe Biden, Harris replied by saying nothing “comes to mind” and adding that she had “been a part of … most of the decisions that have had impact.”
“I had no idea I’d just pulled the pin on a hand grenade,” Harris wrote in her book, “107 Days,” which is slated for release on Tuesday, according to the AP — “my staff were besides themselves” regarding how she had handed a “gift to the Trump campaign,” she noted, according to the outlet.
KAMALA HARRIS COMPLAINS ABOUT ‘IMPOSSIBLE’ LACK OF SUPPORT FROM BIDEN’S COMMS TEAM, INNER CIRCLE
Harris explained in the book that she did not want to criticize the president or litigate matters on which they did not agree, according to the AP, but she did not grasp the extent to which her connection with Biden was holding back her presidential bid.
President Donald Trump decisively defeated Harris in the 2024 election, winning both the Electoral College and the popular vote.
HARRIS ADMITS SILENCE ON BIDEN’S 2024 RE-ELECTION BID WAS ‘RECKLESSNESS’
“I could barely breathe,” Harris wrote regarding her experience of learning that she had lost the White House contest to her Republican rival, the outlet reported. She kept asking, “My God, my God, what will happen to our country?”
Earlier this year, Harris announced that she had decided against mounting a 2026 California gubernatorial bid.
HARRIS REVEALS ‘FIRST CHOICE’ FOR RUNNING MATE BUT SAYS AMERICA WASN’T READY FOR IT
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“In recent months, I have given serious thought to asking the people of California for the privilege to serve as their Governor,” she noted in a statement issued in late July. “But after deep reflection, I’ve decided that I will not run for Governor in this election.”
Late-night host reportedly refused to apologize for comments on Kirk’s alleged killer
ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel reportedly refused to apologize for remarks that landed him in hot water and planned to further tear into Donald Trump supporters, insisting they “purposefully twisted” his words, before he was taken off the air by Disney executives.
Disney on Wednesday sidelined Kimmel “indefinitely” on the heels of controversial comments the late-night host made about the assassination of conservative icon Charlie Kirk. The move came as Disney faced mounting pressure from ABC affiliate stations around the country, as well as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), setting off a national debate around free speech and alleged censorship.
Kimmel had planned to address the controversy in his Wednesday monologue, according to The Wall Street Journal. But Disney Entertainment co-chair Dana Walden, a top Kimmel ally, believed his planned remarks “could make the situation worse.”
DISNEY’S JIMMY KIMMEL BENCHING PROMPTS CELEBRATION, BUT ALSO CAUTION, FROM CONSERVATIVES
Kimmel “was planning to say that his words were being purposefully twisted by some members of the Make America Great Again movement,” the Journal reported.
Walden and Disney CEO Bob Iger made the decision to bench Kimmel, sources told Fox Business. The decision came shortly after Nexstar, the owner of 32 ABC affiliate stations, said it would preempt his show “for the foreseeable future.” Sinclair Broadcast Group followed suit, yanking his show from its ABC affiliates and demanding Kimmel apologize.
The saga began on Monday when Kimmel accused conservatives of reaching “new lows” in trying to pin a left-wing ideology on 22-year-old suspect Tyler Robinson.
“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel said.
DISNEY SAYS JIMMY KIMMEL’S SHOW WILL BE PREEMPTED INDEFINITELY FOLLOWING CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION COMMENTS
Kimmel’s comments came one day after both FBI officials and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said that Robinson held a “leftist ideology” and was increasingly radicalized in recent years. It was also revealed that he had a romantic relationship with a transgender partner who was biologically male and transitioning to female.
Prosecutors later reaffirmed those ideological ties in Tuesday’s indictment.
Kimmel “was not planning on apologizing” and “felt that what he said did not require an apology,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
FCC CHAIR LEVELS THREAT AGAINST ABC, DISNEY AFTER KIMMEL SUGGESTED CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSIN WAS ‘MAGA’
Kimmel’s planned Wednesday monologue further attacking Trump supporters was “very hot,” and he needed to take “down the temperature,” CNN reported, citing a source familiar with the situation.
Disney did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” has seen its ratings drop significantly over the past decade, as the program averaged 2.4 million viewers in 2015 and has been trending downward ever since. Kimmel’s program averaged 2.2 million in 2016 and 2017, fell to 2.1 million in 2018, dropped to 1.9 million in 2019 and sunk to 1.8 million in 2020. By 2021, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” managed only 1.5 million nightly viewers.
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Kimmel’s 2025 average viewership of 1.6 million is down 37% compared to 2015 totals.
The decline is even more significant among the advertiser-coveted demographic of adults, ages 25-54. “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” averaged nearly 1 million viewers in the critical demo in 2015 but plummeted to only 261,000 in 2025. The ABC late-night program shed a staggering 72% of the critical demo over the past decade.
Liberal megadonor bankrolls Newsom’s redistricting plan to nullify Texas moves
Billionaire left-wing donor George Soros contributed $10 million to California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ballot initiative to redistrict the state, The New York Times reported Friday.
Soros, who has helped fund left-wing campaigns stretching from district attorneys to federal elections, contributed the single largest donation amount to Newsom’s effort to redraw the state’s congressional lines, according to the outlet, which cited two sources with direct knowledge.
Soros is the founder of the Open Society Foundations, which is a massive $25 billion nonprofit. His son Alex succeeded him as chair of the board of directors of the Open Society Foundations in 2022.
The donation has helped build Newsom’s war chest for a redistricting effort to roughly $70 million, according to the Times. Newsom launched the redistricting effort, Proposition 50, earlier in 2025 to counter the Trump administration’s promotion that Republicans in states such as Texas redistrict their own lines.
OBAMA CALLS NEWSOM’S CALIFORNIA REDISTRICTING MOVE A ‘RESPONSIBLE APPROACH’ TO GOP TACTICS
“We are talking about emergency measures to respond to what’s happening in Texas, and we will nullify what happens in Texas,” Newsom said in August of Proposition 50.
Dozens of Democratic state lawmakers fled Texas in August for liberal bastions such as Illinois, Massachusetts and New York to prevent a quorum for a special session as Republican state lawmakers prepared to vote on a redrawn congressional map for the state ahead of the 2026 midterms. The Texas Legislature ultimately passed the measure in August, with Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signing the new lines into law that same month.
In response to the Republican efforts, Newsom launched his state’s initiative to counter red state redistricting. Proposition 50 will appear on California ballots for a special election Nov. 4.
“We’ll pick up five seats with the consent of the people. And that’s the difference between the approach we’re taking and the approach they’re taking,” Newsom continued in his August press conference. “We’re doing it on a temporary basis. We’re doing it in a fully transparent way, and we’re doing it by asking the people of the state of California for their consent and support.”
President Donald Trump had encouraged redistricting in Texas, including remarking in August that efforts to redistrict in Texas could lead to the GOP picking up five seats.
NEWSOM-STYLE REDISTRICTING EFFORTS CRITIQUED BY CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATS AS RECENTLY AS JULY, STATEMENTS SHOW
“In California, it’s all gerrymandered,” Trump said during an interview with CNBC at the time. “And we have an opportunity in Texas to pick up five seats. We have a really good governor, and we have good people in Texas. And I won Texas. I got the highest vote in the history of Texas, as you probably know, and we are entitled to five more seats.”
Trump also has repeatedly railed against Soros in public remarks over his donations to left-wing causes and candidates, including calling for investigations into George and Alex Soros.
CALIFORNIA REPUBLICANS SUE TO STOP NEWSOM, DEMOCRATS FROM PUSHING REDISTRICTING PLAN
“Soros, and his group of psychopaths, have caused great damage to our Country! That includes his Crazy, West Coast friends. Be careful, we’re watching you!” Trump wrote on Truth Social in August.
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Fox News Digital reached out to the Open Society Foundations and Newsom’s office for comment but did not immediately receive replies.
Country star defies industry pressure to remove American flag from social media
When country music artist and conservative commentator Alexis Wilkins refused to remove the American flag from her Instagram bio, she told Fox News Digital it became a moment that inspired her to embrace and speak out about her conservative values.
Wilkins said she wasn’t politically outspoken before college, but a classroom experience changed that.
“I was given an F in a class that I have only ever gotten A’s in my life because of my politics,” Wilkins shared.
Wilkins believed that receiving the failing grade was the professor’s way of signaling she wasn’t following a push to be indoctrinated.
JASMINE CROCKETT DISPARAGES MAGA VOTERS, TRUMP AS ‘MOST UNPATRIOTIC PEOPLE’
“When he gave that to me just simply for not going along with the status quo, not writing the papers that denigrated the actions of the Trump administration that I was being asked to write as part of curricula, that was the point where I said, ‘okay, it looks like me not saying that I’m a liberal means that I am a conservative‘ anyway, so I’m willing to draw a line in the sand and I think it’s time in this country that we did,” said Wilkins.
Although Wilkins said country music is generally more accepting of people who “love America,” she added that parts of the industry still pressured her to do things she didn’t agree with.
“I was told to take an American flag out of my Instagram bio, or that I had to support certain things or do certain things in order to get booked on tours, in order to get signed to a label. There are things that ultimately have to give up, and I wasn’t willing to do that and bend the knee to that.”
She added, “The industry and some figureheads in the industry were just saying that me having an American flag in my bio was going to be seen as partisan.”
BROADCAST BIAS: MEDIA ELITES PUT THEIR PROFESSION OVER PATRIOTISM
FORMER ‘REAL HOUSEWIFE’ SAYS BRAVO CANCELED HER FOR BEING CONSERVATIVE
Wilkins pushed back, calling it “ridiculous” to suggest that being proud of the country you live in should be considered “partisan.”
During the 2016 election, Wilkins said some in the industry warned her that even working with certain veterans organizations could be viewed as “partisan.”
Wilkins didn’t let that stop her.
“It was things that were fundamentally American and things that I wasn’t willing to compromise on,” she said.
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Trump-backed funding bill clears House as Democrats threaten to block it in Senate
The House passed a short-term federal funding bill backed by President Donald Trump on Friday morning, paving the way for averting a government shutdown if the Senate follows suit.
The legislation is aimed at keeping the government funded at current levels through Nov. 21 with a measure known as a continuing resolution (CR), designed to give House and Senate appropriators more time to strike a deal on fiscal 2026 federal spending.
It passed mostly along party lines in a 217-212 vote. Two Republicans, Reps. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., voted against the measure. Just one Democrat, Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine., voted in favor.
Fiscal 2025 is slated to end on Sept. 30, and Congress risks a partial shutdown if the CR does not make it to Trump’s desk for a signature by then.
SENATE REPUBLICANS BRAND LOOMING CRISIS A ‘SCHUMER SHUTDOWN’ AS DEMOCRATS DIG IN
In addition to keeping the government open until just before Thanksgiving, the legislation also includes an added $30 million to boost lawmaker security through a mutual aid fund for Capitol law enforcement and local police.
That decision was made as concerns over political violence have skyrocketed in recent months, including after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah last week.
The CR also honors a White House request for an additional $58 million in combined security funding for the judicial and executive branches, as well as $1 billion allocated for Washington, D.C.’s budget after Congress repealed that sum earlier this year.
A shutdown could be politically costly for both Republicans and Democrats.
Democratic leaders had threatened for days to oppose the bill, infuriated over being left out of CR negotiations and demanding increased funding for healthcare subsidies.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., was criticizing the CR as recently as Friday morning, less than an hour before the vote.
TRUMP PRESSURES REPUBLICANS TO PASS A CONTINUING RESOLUTION TO AVERT A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
“Today, there’s a choice before every single member of the House of Representatives: will we stand up for the healthcare of the American people, or will we bend the knee to Donald Trump and his continued efforts to gut healthcare for everyday Americans?” Jeffries asked.
“We’re voting no on a partisan Republican spending bill, and we’ll continue to defend the healthcare of the American people.”
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had precious little wiggle room going into the vote, affording to lose only two Republicans if all Democrats turned against it.
But in the Senate, where at least several Democratic votes will be needed to meet the 60-vote threshold to advance the legislation, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is under significant pressure from his left flank to buck the GOP-led bill.
Schumer angered progressives in March when he cast a key vote to help avert a government shutdown with another Republican-led bill.
Republicans, meanwhile, have been readying to place the blame on a potential shutdown squarely on Democrats’ shoulders.
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Trump posted on Truth Social on Thursday evening, “House Republicans are taking a very important Vote to pass a CLEAN TEMPORARY FUNDING BILL. The Leader of the Democrats, Cryin’ Chuck Schumer, wants to shut the Government down.”
“Republicans want the Government to stay open. Every House Republican should UNIFY, and VOTE YES!” Trump wrote.
Democrats released their own alternative CR plan this week, but Johnson told Fox News’ “Special Report” that it was “filled with partisan wish lists and poison pills and demands.”
The Senate is expected to consider both versions and could take a vote as early as Friday.
Queen Elizabeth dodged royal visitor by hiding in shrub during tense visit, says expert
Behind the tiaras and trumpets of a royal state visit, there are sometimes eyebrow-raising moments being served.
In July, Buckingham Palace announced that President Trump and his wife, first lady Melania Trump, would pay a state visit to the U.K. from Sept. 17–19. King Charles III hosted the couple at Windsor Castle.
President Donald Trump is the first U.S. president to be invited for two state visits by a British monarch. The late Queen Elizabeth II hosted the U.S. president in 2019 during his first administration.
KATE MIDDLETON AND MELANIA TRUMP TEAM UP FOR FIRST-EVER JOINT OUTING DURING HISTORIC STATE VISIT
While the festivities provided plenty of pomp and pageantry, royal experts told Fox News Digital that no gathering could ever rival the late monarch’s unforgettable encounter with a controversial guest.
According to the royal family’s website, foreign monarchs, presidents or prime ministers are invited to visit the monarch on the advice of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Usually, on the evening of the first day, visitors are hosted at a state banquet. Around 150 guests are typically invited based on cultural, diplomatic or economic ties to the visiting country.
While unexpected gaffes are rare during such highly formal events, they do happen.
“One of the most calamitous state visits involved Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife, Elena, in 1978,” royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News Digital. “They were obsessed with being bugged inside Buckingham Palace and only felt safe in the gardens. When Queen Elizabeth II saw them, she reportedly hid behind a bush to avoid speaking with them.”
“She thought they were ghastly,” he added.
Royal author Robert Hardman previously described the visit in the ITV documentary “Queen: Inside the Crown.”
“On the occasion when they were staying, she took the corgis out for a walk in the palace gardens, and she could see [them] coming the other way,” said Hardman, as quoted by People magazine.
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“She thought, ‘I really can’t face talking to them,’ so for the first and only time in her life, she actually hid in a bush in the palace gardens to avoid her guests.”
The outlet noted that, as with all state visits to the U.K., the decision to invite the communist dictator to Buckingham Palace was made by the British government.
“The press started to question the foreign secretary,” said Hardman in the special, adding that the media asked, “Why are we inviting this monster to come to Britain?”
WATCH: QUEEN ELIZABETH’S UNEXPECTED BOND WITH AN AMERICAN COWBOY REVEALED
It’s unknown if Ceaușescu spotted the queen hiding in the foliage. However, it was made crystal clear to the British government that the queen disapproved of the state event, the outlet reported.
“The queen puts up with many different people, but Ceaușescu was too much for her,” former British Foreign Secretary Lord David Owen said in the special. “She made it quite plain she didn’t like that visit!”
It wouldn’t be the only time the late monarch was “extremely displeased” during a state visit, said Fitzwilliams.
“Zaire’s President Mobutu Sese Seko’s wife, Marie-Antoinette, smuggled her dog in her luggage during their state visit in 1973,” Fitzwilliams said. “An angry queen ordered it removed, and her corgis quarantined.”
The president attempted to explain the mishap during a speech, arguing that the dog was of British heritage, the U.K.’s Express reported.
“President Mobutu of Zaire was definitely a low point,” said Hardman in the ITV documentary. “The queen was very unhappy about that.”
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According to British royals expert Hilary Fordwich, one major faux pas reportedly occurred when an American president came to town.
“One of the worst gaffes … was President Jimmy Carter … kissing the Queen Mother right on her lips during the state dinner at Buckingham Palace,” she claimed. “The Queen Mother later told her biographer, ‘He is the only man, since my dear husband (King George VI, Queen Elizabeth II’s father) died, to have had the effrontery to kiss me on the lips.”
Despite the Queen Mother’s recollection, the former president denied the claim.
“More than two years later, there were reports in the British papers that grossly distorted this event, stating that I had deeply embarrassed her with excessive familiarity,” Carter wrote in his 2016 autobiography, as quoted by People magazine. “I was distressed by these reports but couldn’t change what had happened — nor did I regret it.”
For British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard, it’s the Obamas who stood out to her.
“When they were there in 2009, former first lady Michelle Obama put her arm around the late queen,” she recalled. “Everyone always says you can’t touch the queen or king. But actually, they’re not so starchy.”
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In 2018, Obama described the candid moment in her memoir “Becoming,” noting she and the queen were bonding over the painful shoes they were wearing that day.
“I then did what’s instinctive to me any time I feel connected to a new person, which is to express my feelings outwardly,” she wrote, as quoted by Harper’s Bazaar. “I laid a hand affectionately across her shoulder.”
The queen, England’s longest-reigning monarch, died in 2022 at age 96. But surprising moments have already made an appearance at state visits during King Charles’s reign.
French President Emmanuel Macron recently showed off his charming side during the state banquet at Windsor Castle in July of this year.
The 47-year-old was spotted politely helping to pull out Kate Middleton’s chair and waited for her to sit before he took his own seat beside her. During a toast, cameras captured him winking at the Princess of Wales, which went viral on social media.
For anyone lucky enough to receive an invitation, Chard has a key piece of advice to avoid a mishap.
“Queen Elizabeth traveled to so many countries on the royal yacht Britannia,” she said. “And she would always receive strange gifts, like roasted pigs. Various animals were given. I think even a big crocodile. What do you do with things like that? I think sometimes they were thrown overboard, and the sharks used to eat them.”
Rocket hunt takes stunning turn as hobbyists stumble on ancient treasure
A group of metal detectorists recently went on an epic summerlong adventure in the European countryside – and discovered a jackpot of ancient riches.
Based in the central Polish city of Kalisz, the metal detecting group Denar Kalisz recently uncovered pots filled with coins and hundreds of grams of gold – all worth a fortune.
Przemysław Kurowiak, president of the organization, told Fox News Digital the group had been searching for treasure for over two decades before their recent successes.
SURPRISED ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNEARTH ANCIENT GRAVES CAUGHT BETWEEN PAGAN, CHRISTIAN RITUALS IN POLAND
The group was actually searching for German V-2 rockets when they stumbled on their first treasure.
“Our association is a group of friends who love uncovering history,” he said. “We do it as a hobby.”
The first find, discovered by group member Hubert Piasecki on June 7, was a clay pot filled with treasure.
“[The pot was] filled with coins, ornaments and silver ingots from the early Middle Ages, containing 631 artifacts,” Kurowiak said.
ANCIENT CIVILIZATION’S GOLD COINS, LUXURY ARTIFACTS UNEARTHED DURING ‘UNPRECEDENTED’ DIG
“These included cross denarii, foreign coins such as English ones (including from King Harold I of England), as well as German, Hungarian, Czech coins and others.”
A few weeks later, on June 28, member Michał Makuch found a pot full of coins from the early Middle Ages.
Though it hasn’t been opened yet, Kurowiak said the vessel is packed with silver coins, based on recent CT scans.
“And just when it seemed we couldn’t get any luckier, we came upon another treasure – an incredible one, containing a gold necklace (222 grams of pure gold) from the Roman influence period, possibly up to 1,800 years old,” he added.
“By pure accident, we [have been] transformed from rocket hunters into treasure hunters.”
“This is an archaeological sensation in Poland. The lucky finder this time was Mateusz Lachowicz.”
Kurowiak described the discoveries as “pleasant surprises.”
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“By pure accident, we [have been] transformed from rocket hunters into treasure hunters,” he said.
The group leader added that he cooperates with professional archaeologists during excavations, and all artifacts are handed over to Poland’s Conservator of Monuments and, eventually, the Museum of the Kalisz Region.
Kurowiak said the group has an international following, including some American fans.
“We’re very proud of this, and it gives us even greater confidence that what we’re doing is right and important,” said Kurowiak.
Poland has been the setting of a number of exciting archaeological discoveries over the past few months.
In Gdańsk, archaeologists recently uncovered an elite knight’s burial beneath a former ice cream parlor.
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In the city of Krakow, excavators at Wawel Royal Castle found a remarkable centuries-old ring earlier this summer.