• Trump administration honors Charlie Kirk: On Thursday, the body of Charlie Kirk was flown on Air Force Two to Phoenix, Arizona. On the flight with Kirk were his family, friends, Vice President JD Vance, and the second lady. President Donald Trump announced that he will award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, stating, “Let me express the horror and grief of so many Americans at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk. Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty, and an inspiration to millions and millions of people.” Trump also ordered flags to be flown at half-staff through Sunday; given some of the vitriolic responses to Kirk’s assassination, expect some leftist protests.

• Planned Parenthood loses in court: In a win for the Trump administration, a federal appeals court has ruled that the recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which eliminates Medicaid funding for abortion providers for one year, will be allowed to be implemented while legal challenges continue. Planned Parenthood had filed a lawsuit against the bill and initially garnered a stay from a lower-court judge. Now, the nation’s leading abortion mill will not have access to taxpayer funding while the legal proceedings continue. Planned Parenthood has warned that without this taxpayer funding, as many as 200 of its abortion facilities are at risk of closing. This is a good thing that will save the lives of some preborn children.

• Trump and the Yankees: What better way to honor and remember those who died on 9/11 than by attending an all-American game at Yankee Stadium in New York? The Yankees wrote on X, “Tonight, we remember those we lost. … Their spirit lives on today with our First Responders and all who serve our communities and our country. The 45th and 47th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump was in attendance to honor the victims and first responders on the anniversary of September 11th, 2001.” Trump received a standing ovation and cheers of “USA” as he walked into the stadium. He met with the Yankees team before the game in their clubhouse, where, in Trumpian style, he gave them a pep talk and guaranteed them a win — which they did, 9-3 over the Tigers.

• Fake shooter threat at Naval Academy leads to real shooting: A hoax active-shooter threat at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, on Thursday caused confusion that resulted in one midshipman getting shot in the arm. The campus went on lockdown after receiving an anonymous threat of an active shooter. The threat was received via the chat platform Yodel, which falsely claimed that an individual posing as law enforcement was an active shooter. The threat has been traced back to a midshipman who had recently been ejected from the academy. The midshipman was located at his parents’ home in the Midwest. The FBI is investigating this incident along with a number of other false active-shooter threats that were issued across the country yesterday.

• Gun control after Kirk: In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, the usual suspects on the Democrat side are vilifying the guns. Instead of being horrified at the fact that someone would kill a man for simply speaking his mind, they are outraged at the lack of gun control. We certainly know it’s no longer safe for Christian conservatives on college campuses, but if that’s the case, then why disarm them? Gun control measures have done absolutely nothing to reduce gun crime. Democrats continuously go soft on the criminals who are breaking their gun laws. Democrat gun control proposals have been useless because they ignore all circumstances of the shooting, as well as the type of gun used and how it was acquired. If the Democrats actually cared about the victims of gun crimes, they would lock the criminals up and throw away the key.

• “South Park” pulls Kirk episode: A “South Park” episode that premiered last month lampooning Charlie Kirk has been pulled by Comedy Central. The long-running satirical cartoon show has a history of mocking popular figures. Indeed, Kirk welcomed the episode, calling it a “badge of honor,” arguing that it showed “the cultural impact and the resonance that our movement has been able to achieve.” Kirk even temporarily changed his social media profile picture to the show’s character, Cartman. “I’m excited to watch it because, look, we as conservatives need to be able to take a joke, right?” he also said at the time. Some have criticized the decision to pull the episode, noting that Kirk would have opposed such a response.

• Electricity prices rising, Trump blames renewables: Electricity prices rose in August by 0.2%, with an overall increase of 6.2% over this same time last year. Energy prices have increased 7.7% for the year. Donald Trump has identified renewable energy projects as the primary culprit, asserting that states relying on solar and wind power are experiencing record-breaking price increases. “THE SCAM OF THE CENTURY! We will not approve wind or farmer-destroying Solar. The days of stupidity are over in the USA!!!” Trump posted on Truth Social last month. With some states that have heavily invested in renewables showing a lower price increase, Energy Secretary Chris Wright notes that better analysis must be focused “country-wide.” Wright added, “When they talk about Iowa, how much electricity they produce from wind power in Iowa, it’s not all consumed in Iowa. So when you look at [a] state, you’re just looking at a microcosm of a grid.”

• European conservatives raise alarm over EU-led “disinformation” crackdown: As if free speech in Europe weren’t already under attack, the EU, led by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, is suppressing it even further by creating a European Center for Democratic Resilience. In the name of fighting “Russian influence campaigns” and “disinformation,” von der Leyen called for an “all of society” approach to this battle, with her cohorts calling it “urgent.” Her proposal was met with jeers and hisses from conservative and populist members. “Countering foreign disinformation must never become a pretext to muzzle those who disagree,” said Vijay Monany, deputy secretary-general of the populist-right Europe of Sovereign Nations Group. It seems evident that von der Leyen and those on her side feel that the populist movements in various European countries are threatening their control. Therefore, they must push for more power to keep control.

Headlines

• FBI confirms suspect in Charlie Kirk killing, reveals disturbing new details (Townhall)

• Charlie’s wife, Erika, wants to keep Turning Point going, Trump says (Newsweek)

• Teachers, firefighters, officials on leave or fired over Charlie Kirk posts (NEXSTAR)

• President Trump to send National Guard into Memphis (Newsweek)

• Iran has “no identifiable route” to enrich uranium, nuke experts assess (Just the News)

• Brazil’s Bolsonaro sentenced to 27 years in prison (WSJ)

• UK ambassador to U.S. fired over Epstein ties (Fox News)

• The cost of homeownership continues to rise (Census.gov)

• Satire: “Why won’t conservatives give up their guns?” ask the people shooting at them (Babylon Bee)

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