Only two days into a preliminary hearing for the Tyler Robinson murder case and newly presented security footage and testimony are contradicting a conspiracy peddled by Candace Owens. Owens has accused more than a dozen individuals and shadowy groups or governments of being involved in the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, while saying Robinson is being framed or used as a patsy. The late conservative’s widow, Erika Kirk, has notably been a routine target of Owens’ unsupported theories. Just days ago, Owens repeated her belief that Robinson was not on the Utah Valley University campus at all on the day Kirk was murdered. “I don’t think Tyler Robinson was there,” she told podcast host Shawn Ryan. “I think he’s a total patsy. I think they get lookalikes. They get everybody to wear the same outfits. I believe he played a role, and what he did was he picked up clothes and he dumped them behind the Dairy Queen.” LISTEN: The Trial of Tyler Robinson: Making the Case Day 2 During the interview, Owens again raised questions about whether Israel or other “heavy players” were connected to Kirk’s murder and cast suspicion on Erika. At one point in the same interview, Owens said she felt “gutted” because Erika never actually loved her late husband. Owens cited Erika’s decision to quickly step into a leadership role at TPUSA after the assassination as part of her reasoning. During Tuesday’s preliminary hearing, which will determine whether prosecutors have enough evidence for Robinson to stand trial, a number of security videos showed a man on the Utah Valley University campus who authorities testified was Robinson. One video appeared to show Robinson walking with a “limp,” according to David Hull, a former Utah State Bureau of Investigation agent. Notably, reports previously indicated that Robinson appeared to walk with a stiff right leg before the shooting, or with an unusual gait, indicating he was likely concealing a rifle under his clothing. Another video presented in court shows the man believed to be Robinson climbing over the railing of the Losee Center and moving into a prone position just seconds before Kirk was fatally shot. Security footage also showed a person believed to be Robinson seconds after Kirk was fatally shot. The person was seen running along the top of a campus building “before dropping down onto the grass and heading away from campus on foot, carrying something,” The New York Times reported. “The video compilation (exhibit 12.4) of Tyler Robinson visiting UVU campus four times on 9/10 (the last visit stretching into the early morning hours of 9/11) will be submitted as evidence and broadcast to the media. Here’s the video,” TPUSA spokesman Andrew Kolvet said. “When you watch it, you’ll understand why the defense fought so hard against allowing it to be seen by the public.” Robinson’s parents also recognized him from images released by law enforcement following the shooting, and Robinson apparently made statements that led his parents to believe he killed Kirk. Matt Robinson, the suspect’s father, drove his son to surrender himself to authorities. Some independent journalists and conservatives — including those who were close to Kirk — slammed Owens for spreading the apparent lies about the case. “Compare the video of Candace Owens claiming last week that Tyler Robinson was never on the UVU campus on the day Charlie Kirk was killed and the extended footage presented in court today of Robinson visiting campus 4 times that day,” conservative commentator AG Hamilton said. Compare the video of Candace Owens claiming last week that Tyler Robinson was never on the UVU campus on the day Charlie Kirk was killed and the extended footage presented in court today of Robinson visiting campus 4 times that day… pic.twitter.com/2E7NUcjuS8 — AG (@AGHamilton29) July 7, 2026 “Candace Owens led thousands of people astray and lied, claiming that Tyler never stepped foot on campus that day,” journalist Sarah Fields said. “This is embarrassing — for her and for everyone she effectively brainwashed.” Without naming Owens, CEO of The Babylon Bee, Seth Dillon, commented on the mounting evidence against Robinson and those spreading falsehoods about the case. “[T]here’s a reason so many people are unwilling to let the evidence speak for itself. The well was poisoned for exactly that purpose,” he wrote. “The goal of the months-long internet ‘investigation’ has been to pre-bunk the real one so that its findings, when they eventually surfaced, would be widely dismissed.” “Shame on anyone who’s defended this malicious campaign as ‘just asking questions’ or ‘the actions of a true friend,'” he added. Unsurprisingly, Owens is denying the person in the video footage is Robinson. She is now suggesting the man is Lance Twiggs, Robinson’s trans-identifying lover. “The person walking in the video they are presenting is very clearly a TALL person. Well above 6 feet,” she wrote on X. “No way that is a 5’10 or 5’11 person. How tall is Lance Twiggs?” This was my exact point. The person walking in the video they are presenting is very clearly a TALL person. Well above 6 feet. No way that is a 5’10 or 5’11 person. How tall is Lance Twiggs? https://t.co/IjKSmwoHA7 — Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) July 7, 2026 “Has anybody wanted anything as badly as Candace wants Charlie’s murderer to go free?” Blake Neff, producer of “The Charlie Kirk Show,” reacted. Manhattan Institute fellow Colin Wright called Owens “unfathomably idiotic.” “She thinks she has the ability to determine the height of a person to within 1 inch simply from a video,” he said. “Tyler Robinson might appear tall at first glance, but that’s because he’s skinny and lanky. Candace saying that he ‘looks to me to be 6’2 minimally’ is just stupid.” “‘Looks to me’? Based on what method that allows for only 1 inch of wiggle room?” he continued to ridicule Owens. “She has no method, just vibes. It simply isn’t possible to determine how tall someone is from a video or photo that lacks a clear reference point.” “I told you Candace would be spinning off endless conspiracies from the trial footage,” Wright added. “It has already started, and it’s only going to get a lot more insane.” Related: Who Tyler Robinson Interacted With Hours Before Charlie Kirk Assassination

Maine Democrat Senate candidate Graham Platner denied accusations his team was trying to interfere with the process to potentially choose his replacement as he faces continued calls to drop out of the critical race over a rape allegation.  Platner’s campaign disputed claims made by Maine Democratic Party Executive Director Devon Murphy-Anderson that the campaign was trying to “put their thumb on the scale” of what the process would look like to replace Platner. The calls for Platner to withdraw came after Jenny Racicot, his former girlfriend, came forward on Monday to accuse him of forcing himself on her after breaking into her home back in 2021 while deeply intoxicated.  “The Platner campaign has reached out to the party to try and understand what this process would look like. At no point has the campaign tried to ‘put its finger on the scale.’ Over 150,000 Mainers voted for this movement, and over 15,000 Mainers volunteered their time and energy to it,” Platner’s campaign told NBC News. “While Graham wouldn’t want to be a part of the process, he would want to make sure the voters and volunteers make this decision — not the political establishment.” That statement came after Murphy-Anderson released a video attacking the Platner campaign.  “The Maine Democratic Party has been working around the clock to develop a process to replace our U.S. Senate nominee that is open, inclusive, transparent and fair,” she said. “The integrity of this process is just as important as the outcome. And we are committed to ensuring that Democrats across our state can have confidence in both.” “Unfortunately, Graham Platner’s team has repeatedly reached out to us in an attempt to put their thumb on the scale of what this process looks like,” she added. “
We have repeatedly reiterated to Graham Platner’s team that they have no role in determining our next Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, nor in determining what this process looks like.” After Racicot came forward, Platner has rapidly lost support from prominent backers including leftist Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), democratic socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee also claimed it would not spend money on the race if Platner remained on the ballot.  The deadline for Maine Democrats to replace Platner is July 13.

The history of the United States is one filled with founders — visionaries who created businesses, even whole industries, and helped this amazing country continue towards its goal of becoming a more perfect union. We’ve been so good at this that we’re almost victims of our own success. There are still innovators out there, but the world we’ve helped create is a different place. Coding AI into existence isn’t the same as scrapping and saving for years based on the improbable belief that one is building something durable. But before the complete technological overhaul of society and the dominance of a few mega corporations, there was still some room for idiot degenerates who were too cocky to understand that their analog ideas were idiotic and degenerate, particularly for a world that was going digital. This is the space that Dave Portnoy, El Presidente of “Barstool Sports,” worked to his benefit, taking a printed newspaper about sports, gambling, and Boston from a local publication that needed $3,400 a week to stay afloat to a multimillion-dollar enterprise. And now he’s written a book about his journey, at least his journey so far, for if there is one thing that founders rarely do, it’s retire. “Cancel Me If You Can” hit stores — or for those of us who pre-ordered from Amazon, doorsteps — June 30th. None of it is shocking. It’s not even particularly new information, especially if you’ve paid attention to Portnoy. It is a testament to the American spirit, though, and one that is welcome, given certain attitudes about the American dream in 2026. After college, Portnoy went into a white-collar sales job earning $80,000 a year, not exactly a shabby salary for a recent grad. He couldn’t stand the work, though, and after five years, he started Barstool Sports in 2003, a Boston newspaper he published twice per month. His sales experience helped him sell advertising space. His hustle helped him get it into people’s hands. His degeneracy pushed people to actually read it and look forward to the next edition, for he initially hired models to hand out copies before landing on the novel idea that sex sells. Thus, Barstool’s “Smokeshow of the Week” was born. Fun fact from the book: Portnoy coined the term “smokeshow.” He loved how the Miami Hurricanes entered the field through a cloud of smoke and imagined hot girls doing the same thing, ergo “smokeshow.” In terms of those early papers, they were just girls who consented to have their social media photos used on the cover. In terms of differentiating the paper from other things that crazy people handed out, having hot girls on the cover was a way to attract eyeballs. Dumb luck combined with hard work describes much of Portnoy’s ascent from fat guy living with his parents to multimillionaire media mogul. There was the fan who built and maintained barstoolsports.com for years, pushing Portnoy into the blogging space when blogging was in its infancy. There were writers who worked for free. Dan Katz, aka Big Kat, worked for peanuts for years. So did Kevin “KFC” Clancy. Both would become owners in the company when finance came calling, though it wasn’t pure magnanimity on Portnoy’s part. He was already making seven figures, and they wanted in on the action, considering their foundational roles. Given his brash and confrontational approach to social media and public fights, including with his employees, it would seem that he truly is a giant megalomaniacal narcissist who only cares about himself — and his current lady friends and rescue dogs — but the sections when he laments on those who should have gotten a stake in the company or how he should’ve made people wealthy earlier paint a different picture of El Pres. Sure, it’s his book, but his genuine concern for his people is evident in how he describes them. And he puts up with quite a lot, despite public excoriation. Without giving away details, because the book is worth a read, suffice it to say that the Barstool pirate ship operates exactly as one imagines it would; think Pirate King Archer, but with actual remuneration for the crew. He’s sold the ship twice and bought it back both times. He helped countless small businesses with the Barstool Fund during COVID, preventing them from going under. He had a line of frozen pizza, One Bite, that sold in Walmart, and he now admits was completely terrible. (For starters, it had Parmesan on it, and the R&D person who decided to put Parm on a Barstool pizza is a moron.) Now, he spends most of his time hanging out in his luxury estates in Florida and on Martha’s Vineyard with his dogs, Peaches and Pete. He’s still running the ship, though, making sure content keeps coming out and people get paid. There are always expansions into other areas and ideas, despite the fact that Portnoy is extremely polarizing, something I’ve avoided until this point. Because, yes, the book is titled “Cancel Me If You Can” for a reason. Business Insider, The New York Times, protestors, and randos have gone after Portnoy for his antics. He emerges from the fights victorious every time, mostly because he’s good at documenting events and preventing misinformation from overtaking the story. But also, it’s a fight for everyone around him, because if he goes down with the ship, so do they. That’s something he cannot let happen because, contra the Godfather, for El Presidente, business is personal and the nuts who work at Barstool aren’t just the crew, they’re his family. And Barstool is more than just a Boston paper now. It’s an enterprise, a way of life, a fundraising machine, a place where it’s basically impossible to get fired, even if you get blackout drunk and try to put cocaine in your eyes. And with “Cancel Me If You Can,” we get not just stories about how it came to be that way, but a look behind the hat and eyepatch and into the mind of the man named Dave who made being a degenerate gambler into an empire that makes the world a better place. Viva! *** Rich Cromwell is a writer living in Northwest Arkansas. He produces the Cookin’ Up a Story podcast, which you can listen to here. You can also follow him on X: @rcromwell4

The weapon believed to have been used in the murder of conservative Charlie Kirk was wrapped in a towel that contained DNA from Tyler Robinson and his trans lover, Lance Twiggs, according to the FBI. Robinson was living with Twiggs at the time of Kirk’s assassination, and authorities viewed messages between the two romantic partners on the day of Kirk’s assassination that appear to implicate Robinson in the killing. During a preliminary hearing on Tuesday, prosecutors presented a report from the FBI that indicated DNA from Robinson and Twiggs was found on the towel that was used in an attempt to hide a rifle near the scene of Kirk’s assassination, The New York Times reported. Authorities don’t believe Twiggs, who is cooperating with police, took part in planning or carrying out the assassination. DNA breakdown on towel and screwdriver where Lance Twiggs’ and Tyler Robinson’s DNA was found from Amanda Bakker, DNA analyst: Towel: Twiggs 5% Robinson 95% Screwdriver: Twiggs 11% Robinson 89% — Lynden Blake (@LyndenBlake) July 7, 2026 LISTEN: The Trial of Tyler Robinson: Making the Case Day 2 Journalist Sarah Fields similarly reported that Utah Department of Public Safety Sgt. Jennifer Faumuina, the state’s third witness, “testified that FBI DNA testing identified DNA belonging to both Tyler Robinson and his roommate, Lance Twiggs, on the towel wrapped around the rifle, as well as on the screwdriver recovered from the sniper perch.” A video stream of the hearing shows Amanda Bakker, a forensic analyst for the FBI’s DNA lab, confirming that Robinson was the major DNA contributor for the towel and a screwdriver found after the murder, which also contained a much smaller amount of Twiggs’ DNA. To ALL the liars saying the opposite of the truth….you are scum of the earth! Here is the TRUTH! ON THE RECORD: Robinson Was 95% DNA Contributor On Evidence! pic.twitter.com/D2rI2io1wA — Graham Allen (@GrahamAllen) July 8, 2026 Last year, Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray said Robinson’s DNA was found on the trigger and other parts of a rifle that was found near the crime scene. His DNA was also found on the fired cartridge casing and two of the three unfired cartridges, as well as the towel that the weapon had been wrapped in, CBS News reported. Messages obtained by authorities reportedly show Robinson saying in a Discord chat that the rifle belonged to his grandfather. The second day of the hearing also included never-before-seen security footage of who appeared to be Robinson walking on the Utah Valley University campus with what authorities described as a “limp” just minutes before the shooting. Reports have previously indicated that Robinson appeared to walk with a stiff right leg before the shooting, or with an unusual gait, which some have suggested could indicate he was concealing a rifle under his clothing. Robinson is facing the death penalty for the murder of Kirk. Related: Never-Before-Seen Footage Reveals Moments Before And After Kirk Assassination

“Ozempic ears” are all the rage in plastic surgery these days. They seem to be the new side effect of using GLP-1 meds such as Ozempic and Wegovy. Apparently, people are showing up with thinner, sagging earlobes and asking for fillers or reductions. The media have dutifully turned this into the latest reason to panic about weight-loss drugs. What the hysterics are missing, though, is that like most things in life, there are trade-offs. In this case, very, very big ones. When I weighed 320 pounds at 5’4,” nobody cared about my earlobes. To be fair, they were one of my daintiest parts. Nobody worried about my jowls, whether my arms were toned, or whether my skin would someday sag. The message was simple: Lose weight. Now that millions are finally doing it, the media is hyping the side effects of weight loss with little discussion of what people are gaining. I tried to play the weight loss and body image game for most of my life. As a kid, I survived the golden age of terrible weight-loss advice, programs, and how-to schemes. There were diet shakes, diet cookies, diet gum, diet pills, and enough public humiliation to fuel a lifetime of Gen X cynicism. I was the chubby kid who learned to fake being sick on school weigh-in days because at my elementary school, we were weighed in front of the entire class once a year. I carried that weight into adulthood. Over the years, I tried physician-supervised programs, fad diets, fen-phen, Lap-Band surgery, and countless promises of easy fixes. Some worked for a while. Most didn’t. By my 40th birthday, I was over 300 pounds, unemployed, drowning in debt, and struggling physically and emotionally. Eventually, after regaining weight following Lap-Band surgery, I made a different decision. I underwent gastric bypass surgery in 2018. That decision became the beginning of a long process of successful weight loss and lifestyle choices that include daily yoga, weightlifting, food tracking, accountability, and gradually building habits I can sustain. In total, I’ve lost 170 pounds in middle age, which makes me extra proud. I didn’t reach my high school weight; I reached my elementary school weight! Now, having experienced all the “negative” cosmetic side effects of extreme weight loss myself, I find the latest panic over “Ozempic ears” fascinating. According to recent reports, plastic surgeons are seeing patients concerned about thinner or sagging earlobes after significant weight loss from GLP-1 medications. Other cosmetic concerns have earned equally catchy nicknames: “Ozempic face,” “Ozempic breast,” “Ozempic butt,” and a growing list of body changes associated with fat loss. As someone who has had them all and then some, I can say these are pretty good problems to have.  For decades, obesity has been one of America’s most serious health challenges. We know excess weight increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, joint problems, sleep apnea, and countless other conditions. And we know about it because we’re constantly bombarded with information and data and breathless reporting about how unhealthy Americans are — most of it weight-related. Now that millions of people have access to medications that help them lose substantial weight and improve their health, the media present them with reasons not to do it. Fortunately, U.S. adult obesity rates have ticked down recently (from a peak of around 40% to around 37% in 2025), and some see it coinciding with wider GLP-1 use. The cosmetic concerns are real. Significant weight loss changes the body. But here’s the part many people miss: These changes aren’t unique to GLP-1 medications. They’re part of major weight loss. Whether someone loses 100 pounds through surgery, semaglutide, intermittent fasting, CrossFit, Weight Watchers, or sheer stubbornness, skin that stretched over years or decades doesn’t snap back. This is one of the reasons I wrote “The Gen X Handbook for Middle Age” after losing 170 pounds in my 40s. I didn’t wake up looking like a fitness influencer. When I looked in the mirror, I saw someone who was melting. There was loose skin. There were body parts that no longer matched the picture in my head of who I was (goodbye, boobs). There were reminders of every pound I had carried. There were pre-weight loss clothes I still wore because they covered my arms and apron belly. That’s what led me to plastic surgery: not vanity, but completion. After saving money for years and several consultations with my surgeon in Austin, Texas, I underwent a brachioplasty (arm lift), thighplasty (thigh lift), mastopexy (breast lift), and an abdominoplasty with a 360-degree body lift over a period of a year. Every scar represents a choice I made to improve my health. Every procedure came after years of effort, setbacks, plateaus, and persistence. To be honest, I have a couple more on my wish list as 50 approaches. This is why I get frustrated when the media hype weight-loss medications, suggesting they cause unique side effects and raising questions in people’s minds about whether weight loss is worth it. Ozempic gets clicks. It, and weight loss in general, also saves lives. People who have never struggled with obesity often underestimate how difficult long-term weight loss can be. If a medication helps someone lose 100 pounds, lower blood sugar, avoid diabetes, reduce joint pain, and add years to his or her life, I don’t want users to care about what happens to their earlobes. It seems like pretty small potatoes. Would you caution a friend struggling with obesity not to lose weight because of saggy earlobes and loose skin? If people choose to have a facelift, body lift, arm lift, or no surgery at all afterward, that’s their decision, too. The benefits of weight loss far outweigh the negative side effects puffed up by the media. The best weight-loss plan isn’t the hardest one. It’s the one that works. For some people, that’s strength training and meal prep. For others, it’s GLP-1 medications. For me, it was gastric bypass surgery and lifestyle changes. Most of us end up using a combination of tools to maintain weight loss. The media are focusing on the wrong side of weight loss, be it Ozempic or anything else. The obsession with “Ozempic ears” misses the bigger story: People are finally reclaiming their health. I’m Gen X. I survived public weigh-ins, SnackWell’s, Jazzercise, fen-phen, and “just eat less” lectures from strangers on the street. I’ll survive “Ozempic face.” *** Lisa De Pasquale is an author, columnist, and the former director of the Conservative Political Action Conference. She’s a frequent guest on Fox News and Fox Business, the founder of “Bright” on Substack, and the author of “The Gen X Handbook for Middle Age: The Pursuit of Health, Success, and Human Fulfillment.” This article is part of Upstream, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.