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🔎 Charlie Kirk’s assassin is still at large. FBI Director Kash Patel first claimed to have a suspect in custody for the murder of TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk, then reversed course and released the individual. A manhunt is currently underway. With the killer still at large, the FBI is facing scrutiny over its handling of such a high-profile political assassination.

🏫 Colorado school shooting injures two students. A student at Evergreen High School shot two classmates before turning the gun on himself. One victim remains in critical condition. The attack, occurring less than an hour after Kirk’s assassination, underscored a day of national shock and violence.

🚫 Rand Paul accused Fauci of deleting records. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) revealed emails suggesting Dr. Anthony Fauci directed NIH staff to delete federal records tied to COVID-19’s origins. If confirmed, it would mean America’s most prominent pandemic official misled Congress under oath.

📺 Trump administration targets drug ads on TV. President Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are moving to ban pharmaceutical commercials and undisclosed influencer promotions. Big Pharma and TV networks are expected to fight back, but the administration is framing the move as a battle for public health transparency.

There is a lot to reflect on after the tragic news yesterday. How did Charlie Kirk become one of the most effective political activists of the past generation? Why were the things he believed in and defended in front of thousands either so beloved or so hated? And what his killing says about the state of America.

I’ll start with my own experience. During the Black Lives Matter protests, in the middle of the lockdown summer, Americans were under assault by tyrannical government policies and tech corporations censoring speech en masse.

Speaking up was dangerous. In that climate, I started Upward News. One of the first big breaks I had was an article debunking the narrative of George Floyd’s death. As we all know now, he was saying he couldn’t breathe long before the famous knee on his neck, and his body contained lethal levels of drugs.

It was true — but not popular to say. Even most voices on the mainstream Right stayed silent. I was posting only anonymously while working a corporate job.

Charlie picked up the story and ran with it. He recorded a segment that went viral, fearlessly telling the truth about the hoax being pushed on the American people. He credited us — far more than he had to — and sent his audience to our newsletter before it really existed.

I was grateful. I reached out before Upward News was anything, he responded, and we talked over the years. He was always generous with his time and his platform. Just two weeks ago, he willingly lent his platform to help amplify our reporting on the progressive origins of Cracker Barrel’s rebranding.

The last time I spoke to him was right before the 2024 election, when he forged the alliance between Trump and RFK Jr. and hosted the rally that brought them together. A friend I brought along to meet Charlie, not especially political, turned to me afterward and asked, “Is he going to be president one day?” That was the feeling among those who knew him.

Politics attracts its share of cynical operators. Charlie was one of the rare few who wasn’t…

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