The Patriot Post® · Wednesday: Below the Fold
- Patel hearings: On Tuesday, FBI Director Kash Patel testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee for an oversight hearing. For Democrat senators, the proceeding was little other than an opportunity to blast the Trump administration and burnish their own political capital. It therefore devolved into a shouting match between Patel and the Democrats. In one instance, after being accused of being a liar, Patel called Sen. Adam Schiff a “political buffoon,” to which Schiff responded by calling Patel “nothing more than an internet troll.” That said, there was some substantive information learned, such as the FBI investigation of a broad network of leftist groups that may have had foreknowledge of the assassination plot on Charlie Kirk, that the FBI has no evidence that Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficked young women to anyone outside himself, and that under the Biden administration the FBI’s “Operation Arctic Frost” targeted 92 conservative groups and individuals including Kirk’s Turning Point USA.
Tyler Robinson charges announced; false assassin caught with child porn: Tyler Robinson, Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin, has heard the charges leveled against him, including aggravated murder, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering. The state of Utah will seek the death penalty. Meanwhile, George Zinn, the 71-year-old man who was arrested moments after Kirk’s death for claiming to be the assassin, has been charged with sexual exploitation of a minor due to more than 20 images of child porn found on his phone. Zinn also faces obstruction of justice due to his admission that his claims of being Kirk’s assassin were made to abet the true killer’s escape. Zinn has a reputation locally for getting kicked out of public events; there is no evidence of a connection between Zinn and Robinson.
FBI’s “Arctic Frost” also targeted Turning Point: Senator Chuck Grassley, currently the oldest sitting senator, keeps bringing the receipts of Democrat malfeasance, this time regarding the “Arctic Frost” operation. Arctic Frost was the investigation into Donald Trump and his allies over their claims of election fraud in the 2020 election. Turning Point USA was one of the 92 Republican targets to have records subpoenaed as part of the investigation. Grassley explained that the new information shows that Arctic Frost was not just about politically investigating Trump; it was a vehicle for the FBI and DOJ to achieve partisan ends.
Local news anchor resigns after her tribute to Charlie Kirk: Beni Rae Harmony claims she was suspended for airing a nonpartisan tribute to her former boss, Charlie Kirk, on a Springfield, Illinois, ABC affiliate. Harmony’s touching tribute urged people to speak out for their beliefs, “I don’t care what it is,” and highlighted Kirk’s message that when conversation stops, violence starts. After being suspended, Harmony resigned. Many TV personalities and posters on social media have lost jobs after celebrating Kirk’s death, but Harmony claims to be the first to lose her job for mourning it. News Channel 20 claims that it has not suspended or fired anyone in the last 90 days.
Judge dismisses first-degree murder charge against Luigi Mangione: In New York’s case against Luigi Mangione, who is being tried for murdering UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson, Judge Gregory Carro on Tuesday threw out the highest charge of murder in the first-degree as an act of terrorism. Carro asserts that Mangione was not engaged in an act of terrorism, writing, “While the defendant was clearly expressing an animus toward UHC, and the health care industry generally, it does not follow that his goal was to ‘intimidate and coerce a civilian population,’ and indeed, there was no evidence presented of such a goal.” Mangione still faces a second-degree murder charge, which holds a penalty of 25 years to life with the possibility of parole. Thankfully, Mangione is also facing federal charges, where domestic terrorism charges will deservedly be raised against him, and he also faces the death penalty.
Trump arrives in the UK: Yesterday, Donald Trump and First Lady Melania arrived in the United Kingdom for a state visit with King Charles and the royal family. Trump and Melania stayed in the historic Windsor Castle, of which Trump stated, “I don’t want to say one’s better than the other, but they say Windsor Castle is the ultimate, right? So, it’s going to be nice.” Trump explained that his visit would primarily be with Charles and Camilla, saying, “They’ve been friends of mine for a long time, long before he was king, and it’s an honor to have this king.” This marks the first time a U.S. president has visited two different British monarchs for official state visits, the first being with the late Queen Elizabeth II. The visit serves to reinforce the U.S. and UK’s long-established alliance and even longer shared history.
Poor Biden isn’t raking in cash: Joe Biden may not be hurting for cash, but he’s not seeing the post-presidency financial windfall that his recent predecessors have enjoyed. While the Obamas hobnob with their wealthy friends on Martha’s Vineyard and the Clintons are living it up in the Hamptons, Biden has been confined to humbler settings. Biden isn’t getting the $300,000 to $500,000 speech offers, and it’s not solely because of his declining mental acuity, but also because he has lost popularity among Democrats. Kamala Harris recently criticized him in her new book, calling it reckless for the party leadership to allow Biden to run for a second term. But perhaps the biggest reason of all is that Biden is no longer receiving large sums from foreign entities seeking special political influence. The Bidens’ pay-to-play political influence scheme is over, and he’s finding cash harder to come by.
Trump inspires Americans to brush up on civics: Civics knowledge surged in 2025, according to a Constitution Day survey published by the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center. In 2024, the same survey showed that civic ignorance was on the rise. In 2024, only 65% of respondents could name the three branches of government, which rose to 70% in 2025. Similarly, in 2024, only 30% could name three of the five rights enumerated in the First Amendment, but that has risen to 40% in 2025. Democrat strategist James Carville assigns the increased knowledge of civil liberties to the fear of losing them, but the data shows modest knowledge gains across the political spectrum. The director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center attributed the rise in knowledge to the constant challenges the executive branch has faced from its coequal branches in implementing its policies.
Headlines
House GOP unveils 7-week stopgap funding bill, Dems say it makes shutdown more likely (Government Executive)
Justice Department files lawsuit against Maine and Oregon over voter lists (Washington Examiner)
Fani Willis permanently barred from Trump election interference case over her relationship with Nathan Wade (Washington Free Beacon)
Democrat wins Minnesota special election to replace slain lawmaker (The Hill)
Ilhan Omar’s committee assignments under threat after “disparaging Charlie Kirk’s legacy” (Fox News)
Trans author loses major DC Comics deal after spewing hateful comments about Charlie Kirk’s assassination (New York Post)
More health providers drop “gender-affirming care” for minors (Hot Air)
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