The Media Research Center announced Wednesday that it is awarding its annual Free Speech Award exclusively to Charlie Kirk, the late founder of Turning Point USA and a fearless defender of the First Amendment. This approach differs from that taken in 2024, when 35 people were recognized for their strong efforts to defend free speech rights.  Kirk died a martyr on Sept. 10, 2025, while doing what he loved most: standing up for truth and unapologetically speaking his convictions without fear. MRC leadership decided to make this singular award to Kirk because no other free speech advocate sacrificed so much for the First Amendment.   Kirk remained steadfast in his defense of free speech rights for all, including those who disagreed with him. He embodied the very principles of free speech that defined his life’s mission. In a statement, MRC President David Bozell paid tribute to Kirk, stating, “There are no awards or recognitions that could fully capture the impact Charlie Kirk had on this generation of leaders, but it is our duty to continue honoring his work and keeping his legacy alive.” In response to MRC’s celebration of Kirk’s legacy, Andrew Kolvet, Kirk’s friend and Turning Point USA spokesman, said: “Charlie was completely devoted to open dialogue, debate, and free speech. He believed in the battle of ideas, not bullets. His life and legacy will be an eternal testament to his unwavering faith in the logos of God, the Word, and our ability to emulate our Creator with this uniquely American ideal enshrined as our very First Amendment. We must press forward and insist on one nation under God that follows Charlie’s example and picks up a microphone to make our case, not a gun.” While Kirk’s life was cut short, he accomplished more than most could in a lifetime, leaving an enduring mark on the next generation of leaders. Kirk brought his Christian faith, American values and conservative ideas to college campuses, one of the most neglected political battlegrounds. It was in these spaces where Kirk engaged directly with those he disagreed with while unapologetically standing by his beliefs. Under his leadership, Turning Point USA became one of the fastest-growing freedom advocacy groups in America. Kirk himself became one of the most influential voices in our freedom-loving movement, chronicling its rise in several best-selling books. As host of The Charlie Kirk Show, he challenged the legacy media’s monopoly on information by covering overlooked topics and encouraging millions of Americans to think critically on the most pressing issues of our time. Kirk was also a founding member of the MRC Free Speech America Advisory Board, helping guide the organization’s mission to defend the First Amendment and push back against rampant Big Tech censorship. Several other free speech champions will be recognized by MRC this week for their efforts to defend First Amendment rights in 2025. These individuals include executive branch officials, members of Congress, legal officers and advocacy leaders. See the recipients of the 2024 MRC’s Free Speech Awards here: MRC Announces First Annual Free Speech Award Winners from Senate: Cruz, Lee, Marshall, Paul, Schmitt MRC Announces First Annual Free Speech Award Winners from Congress: Johnson and Jordan Among Recipients MRC Announces First Annual Free Speech Award Winners from AGs to Governors, State Legislators & FCC MRC Announces First Annual Free Speech Award Winners: 10 Thought Leaders

PBS debuted a new Independent Lens documentary entitled Ratified on Tuesday that was ostensibly about the fight to get the Equal Rights Amendment ratified in Virginia. In reality, it was just an opportunity for a number of activists and Democratic politicians to trash everyone from the Founding Fathers to conservatives and pro-lifers. One early clip showed Dr. Kelly Burton trying to diminish the Constitution, “When it comes to the relationship that women have with our Constitution, it's interesting because the Constitution was really only created to reflect the priorities of about 5 percent to 7 percent of the American population: men of European descent who owned property. They were the only people who the Constitution is even in any way mindful of.” Most people understand that “men” can also be used as a way of saying “human,” but Rep. Jennifer McClellan is not most people. She turned to the Declaration of Independence, “And then, we had a revolution, and Thomas Jefferson wrote, ‘All men are created equal and endowed by their creator with unalienable rights.’ It didn't include women. It didn't include black people. Definitely didn't include me.”     Ratified was a 90-minute production, and those themes would be repeated throughout, but later the documentary crew sought to ask why the ERA failed. For an answer they turned to an old clip of MSNBC’s Ali Velshi suggesting sexism replaced racism as Evangelicals’ main political motivation, “The anger of Evangelicals was activated by segregation, but segregation would prove to be a less-than-palatable way to motivate Evangelical voters on a broad scale, not enough to win elections with. That's where the issue of abortion came in. Senate races in Minnesota and Iowa in 1978 showed that an anti-abortion, pro-life movement could unite the religious right and give them real political power. Republican politicians campaigned accordingly.”  Feminist Majority President Eleanor Smeal then lamented, “In 1980, the right-wing of the Republican Party took over, and they took the ERA out of the platform.” After a 1980 Ronald Reagan campaign ad, Smeal further mourned, “This is not little game that we're playing. Our opposition is quite powerful. And they don't always play fair.” Ratified’s cast and crew had a funny definition of not playing fair. A June 1982 clip of ABC’s World News Tonight anchor Frank Reynolds explained, “It is June 30th, and at midnight tonight, the Equal Rights Amendment becomes a lost cause.” Some more soundbites later, McClellan decried that, “When the ERA was passed, Congress put a deadline in it. There's nothing in the Constitution that says Congress has that authority, but they did it.” That would be the ERA supporters’ fault, not “our opposition.” Nevertheless, Director of the Equal Rights Amendment Project Ting Ting Cheng argued, “The most recent addition to the Constitution, the 27th Amendment, was proposed by the first Congress, so it took over 200 years to be added to the Constitution between when Congress first passed it and when the states finally ratified it.” Smeal echoed the point by declaring, “What it showed is there’s no time limit.” Unlike the ERA, the 27th Amendment never had a deadline, but matters of Constitutional bookkeeping aside, Ratified’s cast has two major problems: there are many people in this country who look at the trans movement and worry that an amendment like the ERA would bring about the death of women-only spaces. There are also many people who just do not believe the dystopian narrative that says that disbelieving in abortion or the gender pay gap myth renders America a sexist place. As for PBS, Ratified did help prove that there is little, if any, difference between it and MSNBC. Here is a transcript for the October 21 show: PBS Independent Lens: Ratified 10/22/2025 12:03 AM ET KELLY BURTON: When it comes to the relationship that women have with our Constitution, it's interesting because the Constitution was really only created to reflect the priorities of about 5 percent to 7 percent of the American population: men of European descent who owned property. They were the only people who the Constitution is even in any way mindful of.  JENNIFER MCCLELLAN: And then, we had a revolution, [B-Roll footage of American Revolution re-enactment] and Thomas Jefferson wrote, "All men are created equal and endowed by their creator with unalienable rights."  It didn't include women. It didn't include black people. Definitely didn't include me.  … ALI VELSHI: The anger of Evangelicals was activated by segregation, but segregation would prove to be a less-than-palatable way to motivate Evangelical voters on a broad scale, not enough to win elections with. That's where the issue of abortion came in. Senate races in Minnesota and Iowa in 1978 showed that an anti-abortion, pro-life movement could unite the religious right and give them real political power. Republican politicians campaigned accordingly.  ELEANOR SMEAL: In 1980, the right-wing of the Republican Party took over, and they took the ERA out of the platform.  1980 REAGAN CAMPAIGN AD NARRATOR: Only one man has the proven experience we need. Ronald Reagan for President. Let's make America great again.  RONALD REAGAN: Good evening. I'm here tonight to announce my intention to seek the Republican nomination for President of the United States.  SMEAL: This is not little game that we're playing. Our opposition is quite powerful. And they don't always play fair.  REAGAN: Well, I believe in equal rights for everyone. I don't believe in discrimination of any kind, certainly not against women, but I don't believe in the amendment.  GLORIA STEINEM [MARCH 1982]: There are three more states. We have 35, so it is very agonizing because the vast majority of Americans support it, way over 60 percent. The states in which most Americans live have ratified it, but none of us will have it unless we get those three more states and given the schedule of legislatures in their meetings, it seems unlikely.  DAVID LETTERMAN: Now, is— STEINEM: Possible, possible.  FRANK REYNOLDS: It is June 30th, and at midnight tonight, the Equal Rights Amendment becomes a lost cause.  TING TING CHENG: When the ERA time limit expired, people gave up and they said, “We tried and we failed.” SMEAL: All these women who went door to door who went and talked to their legislators, who begged them to vote for equal rights for women learned one major thing: They're just as smart, they're just as good. It made them interested in politics.  RUTH BADER GINSBERG [JULY 1993] I remain an advocate of the Equal Rights Amendment, I will tell you, for this reason. Because I have a daughter and a granddaughter, and I know what the history was, and I would like the legislature of this country and of all the states to stand up and say, "We want to make a clarion call that women and men are equal before the law, just as every modern human rights document in the world does."  CAROLYN MALONEY: I have introduced it every single year that I've been in Congress, and I have not been able to pass it, nor have I been able to even secure a hearing on it. MCCLELLAN: When the ERA was passed, Congress put a deadline in it. There's nothing in the Constitution that says Congress has that authority, but they did it.  CHENG: The most recent addition to the Constitution, the 27th Amendment, was proposed by the first Congress, so it took over 200 years to be added to the Constitution between when Congress first passed it and when the states finally ratified it. SMEAL: What it showed is there’s no time limit. 

Megyn Kelly said in her podcast Tuesday that she didn’t realize how depraved the left has become – before she learned of the murderous sentiments of protesters at Saturday’s anti-Trump “No Kings” rally. In one egregious example, Kelly showed a viral clip of a Chicago elementary school teacher mocking the assassination of conservative Charlie Kirk by gesturing how Kirk had been killed by a shot to the neck, The New York Post reports: “A Chicago-based elementary school teacher mocked Charlie Kirk’s assassination by using a sickening gun gesture at a No Kings protest over the weekend.   “Lucy Martinez, a teacher at Nathan Hale Elementary School, put a finger to her neck and pretended to pull a trigger when a man driving by in a pickup truck waved a flag calling the late podcaster a ‘hero,’ video shows.” “He got shot because he wasn’t a good person,” one No King’s protester said, justifying Kirk’s murder, in another clip. “He was a horrible person,” she tells the reporter interviewing her – adding “You’re a horrible person yourself.” “This woman wasn’t alone in her sentiments,” Kelly said, showing a photo of a young man at another No Kings protest: “Here’s a photo of a young man at a protest in Georgia. He’s wearing the same ‘Freedom’ t-shirt that Charlie was wearing when he was shot. But, this man put fake blood all over it. If you look closely, he made a fake bullet hole in his neck, too.” The protester also wore a medal titled “Bozo medal of fascism,” mocking Kirk’s posthumous reception of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Kelly also showed images of protesters’ hateful signs wishing death upon President Donald Trump. One read “I wish he hadn’t turned his head,” referencing how Trump had once narrowly missed being assassinated by a gunman’s bullet. Another protester is shown wearing a “86 47” shirt. When asked, the man explains that the message means “Kill the son of a bi*ch,” “the 47th president” (Trump). “F**K you guys, too,” the man tells those who say they want to spread the message of love. “All those No Kings people out there, they’d be thrilled if any one of us on the right had what happened to Charlie happen to us,” Kelly confessed, warning that she now sees that, while liberals may claim to support peace, many are now perfectly content to see those with differing opinions murdered: “It’s a very disturbing fact that I’ve just been coming to terms with over the past month. I didn’t know that. I genuinely didn’t know that, did not think the depravity was quite that deep.” Editor's Note: The Media Research Center announced Wednesday that it is awarding its annual Free Speech Award exclusively to Charlie Kirk, the late founder of Turning Point USA and a fearless defender of the First Amendment.

ABC News let loose with the incendiary and inciting rhetoric against President Trump during Wednesday’s edition of The View. The liberal ladies continued to lie about taxpayers footing the bill for the new White House ballroom that was under construction. According to them, Trump was playing some sort of shell game with his presidential salary and legal fees to cover the construction that made him equal to a “mob boss.” They also suggested Republicans were going to steal the midterms and the ballroom was proof Trump wasn’t going to leave office. Their pearl clutching and View-anon conspiracy theories were sparked by Trump’s apparent attempt to get the federal government to reimburse him for his legal fees (for all the fruitless investigations into him he had to defend against) being a similar price tag to the ballroom, though not exactly the same. This caused co-host and conspiratorial comedian Joy Behar to voice skepticism of whether or not Trump actually donated his presidential salary at all. Pretend moderate Sara Haines chimed in to backup Behar’s conspiracy theory by suggesting that Trump donating his salary to the White House Historical Association was a devious backdoor way to funnel government funds to the privately funded project: BEHAR: I love when he says he's going to give it to charity. Like, you know, he claims he gives his $400,000 salary to charity (…) So, oh, he's so generous to give his paltry 400Gs away. And what charity is it? The Foundation for the Destruction of America? HAINES: Joy, it’s funny you mentioned that, cause his first check, which he also touts he donated; actually went to the White House Historical Association, which is the people that pay for the renovations for the White House. So, he donated to his own renovations of the thing –     It must be hard to have their level of intelligence. Once Trump received his paycheck for being president it was no longer taxpayer money, it was his earnings to do with what he pleased. Behar also had an issue with Trump (his PAC) apparently paying for his presidential portrait. “And his own portrait, too, he paid for,” she huffed. Haines proceeded to argue about how bad the optics were for Republicans right now and how some were sounding alarms about electability in the midterms. Behar interjected to claim Republicans were going to “cheat” and steal the midterms: HAINES: The optics are just messing up and I don't how long the working class that, Alyssa, you speak to a bunch, is what really shifted to the Republican right. And how long can he keep them when this is how it's playing out? I really would urge people to listen to the calls coming within the party from people like Senator Ted Cruz and Marjorie Taylor Greene. Words I never thought I’d utter. These are not centrist Republicans. They're typically Trump supporters and they're saying, ‘guys, we're not going to win if this is how angry the other side is. They show up at voting booths and this is not going to work well for us.’ BEHAR: Well, they will win if they cheat. That’s what they’re going to do.     She was followed up by co-host Sunny Hostin who wanted to “speak plainly to people” and said Trump’s actions were “giving mob boss” vibes. “That’s what this is. He is extorting and looting the federal government, at is – in my view, and he's extorting and looting the federal government at he’s already extorting and looting,” she circularly talked. She insisted it was a “fact that our tax dollars now, if he gets this $230 million, is going to be used to renovate a White House which he never intends to leave!” And seemingly ignorant to how Trump lived prior to becoming president, he proclaimed that, “we are basically as taxpayers providing Trump and his family a lifestyle that he otherwise couldn't afford.”     “Let's call him the coppo de tuto drifters,” Behar rang again, to Hostin’s approval: “Yes! That's basically what this is.” The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View October 22, 2025 11:03:15 a.m. Eastern (…) WHOOPI GOLDBERG: So, this will also be decided – the part that really tickles me. It's going to be decided by some of the same Justice Department lawyers who worked with him on these past cases. So Americans, the question is, are you on board with all of this? This is like a cash grab. And your taxes are probably going to be paying for that – [laughter] that ballroom. SUNNY HOSTIN: That tacky gaudy ballroom! GOLDBERG: I mean, it's kind of kooky. JOY BEHAR: I love when he says he's going to give it to charity. Like, you know, he claims he gives his $400,000 salary to charity, but it so happens that according to The New Yorker, the Trump family has made over $3.4 billion since he first entered the White House in 2017. So, oh, he's so generous to give his paltry 400 Gs away. And what charity is it? The Foundation for the Destruction of America? SARA HAINES: Joy, it’s funny you mentioned that, cause his first check, which he also touts he donated; actually went to the White House Historical Association, which is the people that pay for the renovations for the White House. So, he donated to his own renovations of the thing – BEHAR: And his own portrait, too, he paid for. HAINES: I didn't check on that part. But I think this all comes down again as we talk about him demanding money from the government as, again, the optics of this. He is, according to Forbes, a billionaire. 7.3 billion. The national debt of this country is $37.9 trillion. The government is shutdown. Federal workers aren't getting paid. They're lining up at food banks. There are videos of this all over. And he's grabbing money from the very government he says he's going to put first while funding money to give to Argentina. The optics are just messing up and I don't how long the working class that, Alyssa, you speak to a bunch, is what really shifted to the Republican right. And how long can he keep them when this is how it's playing out? I really would urge people to listen to the calls coming within the party from people like Senator Ted Cruz and Marjorie Taylor Greene. Words I never thought I’d utter. These are not centrist Republicans. They're typically Trump supporters and they're saying, ‘guys, we're not going to win if this is how angry the other side is. They show up at voting booths and this is not going to work well for us.’ BEHAR: Well, they will win if they cheat. That’s what they’re going to do. HOSTIN: You know, I think we need to speak plainly to people and I think we need to call it like it is. This is giving mob boss. Right? That’s what this is. He is extorting and looting the federal government, at is – in my view, and he's extorting and looting the federal government at he’s already extorting and looting. Because, as you mentioned, since 2017, his family has made $3.4 billion. He was just caught on tape in October 2025, it was supposed to be the Middle East, you know, Gaza cease fire summit, speaking to the president of Indonesia asking for the president of Indonesia to meet with his son, Eric, probably about a business deal. What else? How about that $400 million plane from Qatar? His private plane [uses air quotes]. How about the fact that our tax dollars now, if he gets this $230 million, is going to be used to renovate a White House which he never intends to leave! So, that’s what this is. This is about a mob boss extorting the government for his own personal, I guess, you know, gratitude and enrichment. And we are basically as taxpayers providing Trump and his family a lifestyle that he otherwise couldn't afford. BEHAR: Let's call him the coppo de tuto drifters. HOSTIN: Yes! That's basically what this is. (…)

A 42-year-old man followed another customer into the Pink Beauty Supply store in Compton, California, on Sunday afternoon and "groped her once inside" the store, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Lieut. DeJong told KCBS-TV.When employees told him to leave, the man allegedly refused and began to verbally assault them and some customers before he started throwing objects inside the store, KCBS added.'In this day and age where there are no boundaries and everyone believes that they can do whatever they want, without fear of prosecution or penalty, this is the proper way to handle it. Good for her.'Employees and customers noted that the male had an object in his hand that they believed was a knife, the sheriff's department said, adding that the male made verbal threats that he was going to kill and harm everyone in the store.With that, one of the customers — not the one he allegedly groped — pulled out a gun, KCBS said.Fearing for the store employees, herself, and other customers, the sheriff's department said she fired a warning shot at the male. But the male turned toward her, officials said — and fearing she was going to be attacked, she fired a second shot, striking the male.DeJong noted to KCBS that "he went down."RELATED: Gun-toting woman opens fire on career criminal amid alleged home burglary. Now crook's career is over. The sheriff's department said the shooting took place just before 3:30 p.m. and that Compton Fire Department personnel responded and pronounced the male dead at the scene.Investigators noted to KCBS that the woman who pulled the trigger was a customer at the store, and she remained at the scene to cooperate with officials.Detectives added to the station that parking lot surveillance video indicates the man was loitering in the area and drinking alcohol."He alleged he was a gang member, and LASD says it appears he was a gang member; unknown if still active," DeJong told KCBS while adding that the male had a lengthy criminal history that included assaults, robberies, thefts, and disturbing the peace.The station said it's unclear whether the woman will face any charges for the shooting, and it hasn't yet been determined whether it was done in self-defense.KNBC-TV said the woman is in her 50s, that she surrendered the gun, and that no one was arrested.RELATED: Stalker shows up at woman's workplace, begins punching her, cops say. But victim has a gun — and she uses it. The sheriff's department is asking the public for information about the shooting, noting that individuals can contact the sheriff's Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Those who prefer to provide information anonymously can call "Crime Stoppers" by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477) or use their smartphones by downloading the “P3 Tips” Mobile App on Google play or the Apple App Store or by using the Crime Stoppers website, officials said.Nearly 5,000 comments have rolled into a Los Angeles Times story about the shooting, which Yahoo News republished. The latest reactions reflect strong support for the woman's actions:"Firing a WARNING SHOT was pure genius!" one commenter wrote. "Unfortunately, this criminal made a fatal decision by ignoring it! One less criminal on our streets! Congrats!""Another person [who] deserves to never pay for any alcohol in their area," another commenter said. "Good job following through on the reason you carry in the first place. I know that was a very hard decision, but if it's you or them, always choose them. She is a HERO and deserves a hero's welcome.""In this day and age where there are no boundaries and everyone believes that they can do whatever they want, without fear of prosecution or penalty, this is the proper way to handle it," another commenter noted. "Good for her.""Unfortunately, citizens are having to defend themselves more frequently these days, [and] her response was appropriate for the situation," another commenter opined. "Given our legal system, he would have been out in hours and recommenced doing the same…""Justice can come swiftly and in different forms; he got his," another commenter said. "Offenders beware: Many people [nowadays] are armed."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales has been called everything from a transphobe to a bigot for calling out drag performers as child groomers — but now she has some seriously damning receipts.Kiba Walker, who goes by Salem Moon, is a man she has called out many times for his “all-ages” drag performances in Dallas, Texas. Recently, Walker even celebrated kicking Gonzales out of one of his drag shows.“And in the words of our good friend who we removed from the building, Sara Gonzales, ‘The pressure worked, y’all.’ ... She’s no longer here, and she’s not going to get in here and try to tarnish our amazing event,” Walker said.While Walker sounded confident in his speech, Gonzales is having the last laugh.“Well, it turns out that he was accused of trying to groom underage boys. Uh-oh,” she mocks. “Some trouble, some trouble for Kiba, who is the first to tell you that I’m the problem, I’m the crazy one.”“I’m just a bigot for saying that perhaps it’s a bad thing when you have grown men who want to dress up and dance provocatively around young children. Maybe that’s a red flag we should be looking into,” she continues.While she notes that Walker is “innocent until proven guilty,” she also has receipts.“The victims have been posting about it online,” she says.The first alleged victim goes by the online name “Blade” and posted a long exposé about Walker making advances toward him when he was a teenager.“My experience with Kiba Walker (A.K.A. Kyle Davis or ElexVTuberEN). A recount of events from my teenage years that left me with lingering issues building trust and real connections with people. TW// Grooming, Pedophilia,” Blade wrote in a post on X, with a Google doc of his experience attached.The grooming allegedly began when Walker slid into the 15-year-old’s DMs, offering him free singing lessons.“Wow, what a nice gesture,” Gonzales scoffs. “That’s when he started littering in sexual references here, there. Oh, just a joke. They’re just jokes. Then that moved to flirting and then of course requests to trade nudes.”Blade also recalled Walker sending him porn that he “liked” and making a “game out of trying to arouse him at school.”“By the way, he also asked for videos of the kid jerking off. But I’m the witch, right? I’m just being transphobic. I’m just being transphobic for saying that any grown man who wants to perform like that in front of children is the problem,” Gonzales says.Walker then apologized to the boy for making him uncomfortable by sexting him, and left him alone — but came back later when he was only 16 years old, at which point the unsolicited sexting got worse.Another accuser compiled a document of similar evidence and shared it online as well. “I know you’re sick. You’re sick to your stomach,” Gonzales tells her audience. “I’m sick to my stomach too. But I think it’s important that we expose these people for who they really are because I’m getting sick and damn tired of being told I’m just hateful.”Want more from Sara Gonzales?To enjoy more of Sara's no-holds-barred takes on news and culture, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

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