Good morning, everyone. I hope you managed some rest, because today brings a flood of news that matters. We’re tracking Donald Trump’s claim that the suspected shooter of Charlie Kirk is in custody, his open push to model America’s justice system after China’s, and the fallout from threats that shook the Naval Academy and HBCUs nationwide—and more.
This has been a heavy, grueling week. I feel it too. But here’s what I know: we get through it together, and we get through it by holding fast to the truth. I promised you from the very beginning—I will not stop. Not when it’s uncomfortable, not when it’s dangerous, not when others would rather you look away.
My duty is simple and absolute: to give you the truth, raw and unvarnished—free of spin, free of influence, free of fear. To report with independence, because independence is the only antidote to the noise and the lies.
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With that, here’s what you missed:
Donald Trump told Fox News that, “with a high degree of certainty,” the suspect in Charlie Kirk’s shooting is in custody, explaining that a minister recognized the shooter and the father persuaded him to surrender, though the FBI and Utah authorities have not confirmed this.
The Wall Street Journal irresponsibly ran with a story suggesting that the bullets used by the shooter had engravings that contained transgender or antifascist ideology on them. That story has since been mostly debunked, but the conspiracy theories remain online.
Lawmakers in both parties are canceling or scaling back public events and boosting personal security after Charlie Kirk’s assassination, with figures like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez postponing rallies, Nancy Mace pledging to carry a firearm, and others citing fear amid rising threats, while Capitol Police conduct more threat assessments and leaders review protections.
A resolution has been introduced to have Charlie Kirk lie in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.
On Fox & Friends, Trump said the U.S. should adopt “quick trials,” suggesting that like in China, trials should happen the “following day.”
Trump said, “Maybe I’ll be the first to say it right now again — we’re going to Memphis. Memphis is deeply troubled. The mayor is happy. He’s a Democrat. And the governor is happy. We’re gonna fix that just like we did Washington. I would’ve preferred going to Chicago … we’ll bring in the military too if we need it.”
A 16-year-old student, Desmond Holly, opened fire at Evergreen High School in Colorado, critically wounding two classmates before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound; officials say he was radicalized by an extremist network, brought significant ammunition to school, and roamed the campus firing repeatedly, but locked classrooms and a rapid law enforcement response prevented greater tragedy.
Several HBCUs, including Alabama State, Clark Atlanta, Hampton, Southern, and Virginia State, went into lockdown, canceled classes, or ordered shelter-in-place after receiving violent threat calls later deemed hoaxes by the FBI; most restrictions have since been lifted, but the incidents caused confusion and fear among students while schools worked with law enforcement to ensure safety.
During a lockdown at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis triggered by online threats from a former student, a midshipman mistakenly struck a law enforcement officer with a training rifle and was shot in response; the student was hospitalized in stable condition, while the threats that sparked the lockdown were later traced to the expelled student posting from off campus.
Poland has called an emergency UN Security Council meeting after Russian drones violated its airspace, marking NATO’s first direct engagement with Russian drones; while Warsaw and several European allies insist the incursion was a deliberate attack, Trump suggested it could have been a mistake, drawing pushback from Polish leaders, as Germany pledged more jets, airspace closures were ordered in eastern Poland, and leaders warned the incident brought the country closer to conflict than at any time since WWII.
Major Democratic donors are largely reluctant to fund Joe Biden’s presidential library, citing lingering frustration over his late 2024 exit, limited donor access during his presidency, competing political priorities, and doubts about his fundraising capacity at age 82, leaving the project’s $200–300 million goal in doubt despite allies’ efforts to promote his legacy.
A former Tennessee prison in Mason has reopened as a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center, with detainees now arriving under CoreCivic’s operation; while officials tout the 240 jobs and new tax revenue it will bring, residents and civil rights groups have raised concerns about potential abuse, citing CoreCivic’s history of fines, lawsuits, and critical audits.
Trump’s decision to end the de minimis exemption on imports under $800 has hit U.S. shoppers and foreign sellers but boosted domestic industries, with textile groups praising the move as protection against unfair competition, unsafe goods, and fentanyl shipments; meanwhile, U.S. customs processors, logistics firms, and warehousing companies like Zonos, BoxC Logistics, and LVK Logistics are seeing rapid growth as they handle new tariff and fulfillment demands.
Republicans in the Senate used the “nuclear option” to change rules and speed up confirmation of Trump’s nominees after bipartisan negotiations collapsed, allowing en bloc consideration of executive branch civilian nominees (but not Cabinet or judges), with Democrats warning this will let unqualified nominees slip through.
Brazil’s Supreme Court sentenced former president Jair Bolsonaro to more than 27 years in prison for plotting a military coup to overturn the 2022 election, with justices declaring he led a criminal organization that tried to “annihilate” democracy; while supporters celebrated the verdict as historic accountability, Trump and U.S. officials condemned it as persecution, and Bolsonaro’s allies vowed to keep fighting for amnesty or a future pardon.
China blasted Mexico’s plan to raise tariffs on Chinese cars from 20% to 50%, calling it a move taken “under coercion to constrain China,” while analysts said Mexico acted to placate Trump and avoid U.S. tariffs; Beijing warned of countermeasures, even as Mexico’s Congress considers approval, highlighting how Trump’s aggressive tariff regime is reshaping trade and geopolitics worldwide.
Venezuela said the 11 people killed in a U.S. military strike on a Caribbean boat were not gang members, disputing Trump’s claim they were Tren de Aragua narco-terrorists; U.S. officials admitted the vessel was fired on after turning back toward shore, prompting bipartisan criticism in Congress over legality and executive overreach, while Maduro vowed military readiness and Washington defended the strike as a lawful anti-drug operation.
See you this evening.
— Aaron
