“I forgive him” Erika Kirk Forgives Charlie’s Alleged Killer

This Week in Historyby Dianne Hermann “The secret to happiness is freedom.The secret to freedom is courage.” Carrie Jones Sept. 22-28, 2025 September 22 1789 – The Office of Postmaster General is created under the Treasury Department. Ben Franklin was the first Postmaster General. 1863 – President Lincoln makes his Emancipation Proclamation speech. It was […] The post This Week in History: Sept. 22-28, 2025 appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

Trump hinted at Monday’s press conference, which will feature Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Mehmet Oz, while speaking at Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk’s tribute service in Glendale, Arizona. “Tomorrow, we’re going to have one of the biggest announcements really, […] The post Report Coming on Autism Today appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

People from all over pack Arizona’s State Farm Stadium to honor Charlie Kirk, Democrats resist a Kirk resolution, and several countries break with the United States and move to recognize a Palestinian state. It’s Monday, September 22, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Morning Wire is available on video! You can watch today’s episode here: If you’d rather listen to your news, today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:   Kirk’s Historic Funeral Topline: President Donald Trump joined hundreds of thousands of Americans in Arizona on Sunday to celebrate the life of Charlie Kirk.  An estimated 200,000 people descended on State Farm Stadium in Glendale, home of the Arizona Cardinals, for a final memorial service honoring the conservative activist. For a private citizen, drawing a crowd of that magnitude is nearly unprecedented.. It could be the largest funeral turnout since Martin Luther King Jr. back in 1968 — that event drew 300,000 people. Mourners, who were encouraged by Turning Point USA to wear red, white, and blue, came from all over the world. Some camped out for 48 hours to get in. The Lineup: The morning started with an extended time of worship led by Christian music stars Phil Wickham, Kari Jobe, Brandon Lake, and Chris Tomlin.  Charlie’s pastor, Rob McCoy, then shared personal stories before offering a chance for attendees to put their faith in Jesus and become Christians. Hundreds of attendees stood up and proclaimed their new faith. The speaker list included a who’s who from the Trump administration, including Vice President JD Vance, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., War Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and President Trump, whose family says viewed Charlie as another son. Trump said of Kirk’s impact: “On that terrible day, September 10, 2025, our greatest evangelist for American liberty became immortal. He’s a martyr now for American freedom. I know I speak for everyone here today when I say that none of us will ever forget Charlie Kirk, and neither now will history.” Erika Kirk’s forgiveness: Erika Kirk, Charlie’s wife, gave the penultimate speech honoring her husband before joining the president on stage for a final wave to the audience. Kirk, the newly chosen CEO of Turning Point USA, in front of the packed stadium, offered forgiveness to her husband’s suspected killer. “My husband Charlie … he wanted to save young men just like the one who took his life … that young man … I forgive him,” she said. “I forgive him because it was what Christ did and is what Charlie would do.” Divisions Over Kirk And Kimmel Topline: The past week saw support for Charlie Kirk pour in nationwide, even as criticism from the Left and the fallout over Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension persisted—events that ultimately culminated in a shooting at an ABC station. A U.S. House divided: On Friday, House Republicans proposed a resolution condemning the assassination of Kirk and honoring his life, saying he “engaged in respectful, civil discourse.” But 118 Democrats did not support the measure.  The resolution was ultimately approved, but not in the unified way that has happened in the past. At the end of June, for example, Republicans unanimously joined Democrats in passing a similar resolution rejecting violence in the wake of the assassination of Melissa Hortman, a Democratic state representative from Minnesota. Although Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) generally condemned political violence, on the House floor, she urged Democrats to vote against the Kirk resolution. Then, she turned the focus to ABC’s decision to suspend late-night host Jimmy Kimmel for his false remarks about Kirk’s killer. “All in the name of Charlie Kirk, President Trump and the FCC are now cynically threatening to shut down ABC and any outlets who give airtime to the administration’s political critics. This is a disgusting attack on the American people and the very First Amendment rights that define us as a country,” Ocasio-Cortez said on the floor of the House. ABC under fire: A few hours later, during a protest against Kimmel’s suspension, 64-year-old Anibal Hernandez Santana allegedly fired three shots into the lobby of a Sacramento ABC station while employees were still working inside. Hernandez is reportedly a former teachers union official whose social media accounts are filled with anti-Trump rants. He was initially taken into local custody and released on bail. But the FBI later rearrested him, so he is now in federal custody. Dems stand for Kimmel: Democrats and the Left more broadly are more focused on Kimmel’s suspension than Kirk’s assassination. Conservatives have pointed out that The Atlantic has now published more articles lamenting Kimmel being benched than Kirk being killed, for example.  And Democrats’ criticism of Kirk has not slowed. Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett, on CNN Sunday morning, lambasted her colleagues who voted for the Kirk resolution. But there have been exceptions. Former Obama official and CNN contributor Van Jones shared that he received a note from Charlie Kirk that he did not find until after Kirk’s death. And it really revealed Kirk’s character. “We were beefing. We were going at it online, on air, and then, after he died, after he was murdered, my team called and said, ‘Van, he was trying to reach you, man,’” said Jones. “This guy is reaching out to his mortal enemy, saying we need to be gentlemen, sit down together, and disagree agreeably.” “He was not for censorship. He was not for civil war. He was not for violence. He was for dialogue, open debate, and dialogue, even with me,” he said. Western Countries Recognize ‘The State Of Palestine’ Topline: That was British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announcing Sunday that the UK is joining Canada and Australia in formally recognizing “Palestine” as a state. The move puts the countries at odds with the United States as the UN General Assembly is set to convene.  Expert opines: Victoria Coates, vice president of the National Security and Foreign Policy Institute at The Heritage Foundation: “This is a recognition so far by Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia of a Palestinian entity. And it means absolutely nothing. It doesn’t have borders. It doesn’t have any of the trappings of a nation-state that we would understand in terms of civic institutions. This is simply an action taken in a multilateral body with no binding legal authority to make the respective prime ministers of those three countries, I guess, feel better about themselves because it’s certainly not doing anything to help the Palestinians.” Coates on the timing: “They announced it now because the United Nations General Assembly is in session this month. President Trump will be addressing the body on Tuesday, but this is when all the world leaders come together and take these kinds of diplomatic theatrical actions, again, to try to look big on the world stage. But again, there is no binding authority here. This is meaningless.” “It makes peace less likely because it encourages the Palestinian Arabs to think that they can have it all, that these countries are going to reject Israel and isolate Israel. And one of the things that’s striking to me is this does nothing to help any Palestinian in Gaza. No Palestinian in Gaza will eat because of this. No Israeli hostage will come home because of this. It will simply be, as I said, political theater to make these leaders pander to their very far left bases in all three countries.”

Do animals have the ability to appreciate art? This questions is one that a number of scientists have sought to answer. Some studies indicate that they are capable of having preferences, particularly when the art is food-based. In fact, some sparrows have shown a potential preference for certain art styles over others. Ultimately, we still can’t say for sure… but the reaction these pet frogs have to art certainly makes us believe they can! Trace doesn’t display just any piece of art for her pet frogs… she makes them herself. These pieces are made to be frog sized, of course, and they hang just outside of their terrarium. And yes, it is just as adorable as it sounds. See for yourself in the viral video below! @trac.ceey perfect hahaha ♬ Wes Anderson-esque Cute Acoustic – Kenji Ueda “For science, you need to line up all of the pictures you’ve made and see which one is their favorite,” someone suggested in reply to Trace’s video. Other commentors added, “Wait I’m literally crying he IS PERCHED UP AND READY TO READ STOP” and “Add a small mirror with a crown on it so when he looks at it he sees himself with a crown.” Talented Woman Creates Mini Custom Art Pieces for Her Adorable Frogs to Admire Although people are loving the idea of Trace creating a whole gallery wall, she is set on her current method of removing and adding new pieces. That way, there’s the “novelty of limited edition” pieces. Speaking of which, here’s a behind-the-scenes look at Trace setting up the third installment… @trac.ceey week 3: behind the scenes lmao ♬ Wes Anderson-esque Cute Acoustic – Kenji Ueda Trace’s future as an artist seems bright. After all, how many other people can say that the art exhibits they created for their pet frogs went viral!? Because if there are more, we most certainly want to support them as well! You can find the source of this story’s featured image here! The post Frog Owner Makes Unique Artwork For Her Pets… And They Love It! appeared first on InspireMore.

Having your flight delayed for an hour can be frustrating. Still, between our phones and laptops, there’s a decent amount of options when it comes to keeping ourselves entertained. Even a two-hour delay can go by fairly quickly. But once you near hour three, four, and beyond… well, that’s simply a nightmarish situation. Jazminem and a number of other passengers found themselves in this ordeal at an airport in Baltimore, Maryland. Their flight was set for 3 PM but ended up getting delayed a staggering eight times. That meant that Jazminem and the rest of the passengers were left stranded for seven hours or more. In that time, you might expect everyone to grumpily keep to themselves… but not this creative group! They put on their very own talent show. Watch the video below to catch a glimpse at the show! @ja3minem Welcome to my life for the last 7 Hours stuck in the airport from Baltimore MD to Detroit, MI. Delta was very accommodating thank you so much @delta @BWI Airport #delta #planedelayed #trapped #fyp #funnyvideos ♬ original sound – jazminem “Y’all better have a group text after all this, because y’all are family now,” someone pointed out in reply to this hilarious viral video. Other commentors added, “Man was inspired to attempt a cartwheel for the first time in his life” and “I’ve watched this 20 times and every time I see something different…. The interpretive dancer behind the drunk guy singing Creed is sending me.” When a Flight from Baltimore to Detroit Gets Delayed Eight Times, the Stranded Passengers Put on a Talent Show There truly is so much to love about this wholesome video. Most of all, people appreciate the way these people are handling their frustrations. Sure, they have every right to be upset. But rather than taking it out on each other, they’re making the most out of the time they have in this unfortunate situation. In the end, even Jazminem agrees it was an evening to remember. “Welcome to my life for the last 7 Hours stuck in the airport from Baltimore MD to Detroit, MI,” she wrote in the caption of her video. “Delta was very accommodating. Thank you so much.” You can find the source of this story’s featured image here! The post Passengers Delayed For Hours Decide To Pass The Time With Silly “Talent Show” appeared first on InspireMore.

Move over, AirBud, Daisy is on the court! Daisy is a demure, calico cat with a penchant for balloon volleyball. Some cats are content to play with a wadded-up ball of paper, while others insist on only the best catnip-filled toy mice. A kitty fishing pole or laser light is the favorite of other cats. For Daisy, her toy of choice is a regular balloon. @balloondaisy Weekend activities ♬ original sound – balloondaisy There is no time to sit around the house locked in boredom. If you’re free, this cat is always up for some balloon volleyball. Daisy’s pawrents are always happy to oblige their little cat’s addiction. We should note that they don’t allow Daisy to play with balloons without adult supervision. If you decide to try this activity with your own cat, please supervise their play to avoid mishaps with punctured balloons. Please do not permit cats to play with non-inflated balloons. @balloondaisy Me & Daisy at midnight lol .. . . . . . . . . . . . . #happynewyear #nye #catsoftiktok ♬ original sound – balloondaisy Daisy might argue that this is an enrichment activity for her humans. If that is the case, then she is being a dedicated kitty and providing them with plenty of interactive exercise. Either way, all parties involved seem to enjoy the game. Balloon volleyball isn’t the only physical activity they offer their cat. The pawrents are busy trying to train Daisy to walk outside on a leash to broaden her life experiences. She seems to enjoy the outside activity, but they are concerned about her complete lack of survival skills. @balloondaisy We’re training her to walk outside #cat #catsoftiktok #catlover #ilovemycat #cattok ♬ Groovin’ – The Young Rascals To catch all of Daisy’s antics, please follow her on TikTok. You can compare her sleeping positions to those of your own cat (they’re all weird). Watch her explore the garden and more. If you don’t have a cat, watching Daisy may cause you to think about adoption. Please share. You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post The Pawfect Activity: Cat Plays Balloon Game With Impressive Level Of Skill appeared first on InspireMore.

People can disagree about whether President Donald Trump had to send the National Guard to help fight crime in the nation’s capital, but it seems to have already reduced crime rates in the city. And most people who live or work in Washington, as we do, surely welcome the increased security. But not all. One person who doesn’t seem to get it is—wait for it—Washington attorney general, Brian Schwalb. This is the same prosecutor who has pledged never to try a juvenile as an adult, no matter how heinous or brutal the crime. On Aug. 4, he filed a federal lawsuit challenging the president’s authority, a suit that one prominent legal scholar described as simply “delusional.” In his complaint, Schwalb claims that “the deployment of National Guard troops to police District streets without the District’s consent infringes on its sovereignty and right to self-governance.” Yet Washington has never had either sovereignty or any right to self-governance. That’s not only a historical fact—it’s how the founders designed it. In 1783, five years before the Constitution was ratified, the Confederation Congress met in the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia. Hundreds of Revolutionary War soldiers surrounded the building, threatening lawmakers and demanding back pay. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the City of Philadelphia ignored Congress’ plea for military or police assistance, forcing a move to New Jersey. Three months later, Congress endorsed the idea of locating the national legislature in a “suitable district” over which the federal government would have jurisdiction. Based on bitter experience, they wanted to avoid the inevitable problems that would come from locating the capital within one of the states. When they returned to Philadelphia in 1787 to draft a new Constitution, the framers spent no time debating a provision giving Congress authority to create and control a federal district from land ceded by states to serve as the seat of the U.S. government. The Constitution explicitly gives Congress authority to “exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever” over the district. They wanted to make certain that no one later would think the district had its own inherent sovereignty or a right to self-government that could be used to threaten, coerce, intimidate, or manipulate members of Congress. The Supreme Court has repeatedly recognized that this federal control over the district is so complete that Congress can even treat it as a state for specific purposes, such as taxation or diversity jurisdiction. It can even extend to the district restrictions the Constitution imposes on states. The district has been governed in several ways, including an elected city council and presidentially appointed mayor; a two-chamber legislature, one appointed by the president and the other elected; a three-member commission appointed by the president; and, since 1973, an elected mayor and city council. Yet each time, Congress dictated how the district would be organized and governed. The Home Rule Act in place today expressly states that Congress “reserves the right, at any time, to exercise its constitutional authority as legislature for the District.” The feds have stepped in before when the district was poorly governed. A deepening financial crisis due to reckless spending led Congress in 1995 to create the District of Columbia Financial Control Board, which directly ran the district’s finances for the next six years. The board balanced the district’s budget and then phased out its control, but now Washington once again faces a $1.1 billion deficit in the current fiscal year. Far from having, as Schwalb contends, any “right to self-governance,” the district may govern itself at all only because Congress allows it—and may do so only in ways, and to the extent, that Congress permits. And, frankly, the district has often made a hash of it when Congress has given it any leeway. Which brings us back to Trump’s decision to have the National Guard help the district in perhaps the most basic responsibility of government: public safety. In 2023, our colleagues Charles Stimson and Zack Smith exposed the district’s failure at criminal justice reform, and Smith has recently explained why its claim that crime today is under control is fiction. Unlike states where the National Guard is under the governor’s legal authority, in the district the National Guard is under the president. This has been codified in federal law since 1889. But the D.C. Code, as the attorney general surely knows, also codifies this federal requirement in § 49-409, which states: “The President of the United States shall be the Commander-in-Chief of the militia of the District of Columbia.” “Militia” is the 1889 term for the National Guard. What does this mean? It means that Brian Schwalb’s bogus lawsuit is a political stunt. But while his lawsuit has no merit, Trump’s concern over Washington’s high crime rate and his legal authority to address it certainly do. It’s about time. Originally published by The Washington Times. We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post Trump Has Constitutional Authority to Battle Washington Crime appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The Republican National Committee is executing President Donald Trump’s election-integrity agenda ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.  “Through our litigation efforts, we are very focused on helping the president achieve his goals around election security,” an RNC official told The Daily Signal.  Trump signed an executive order in March requiring states to use proof of U.S. citizenship for federal voter registration, setting Election Day as the uniform deadline for receiving ballots in federal elections, and conditioning federal election funding on compliance with those and other election-integrity rules.  The RNC is working to defend Trump’s executive order in states where practices prohibited by the directive continue. While the president is taking the national approach to election integrity, the RNC is coming alongside him with a state-by-state approach.  “We are challenging these things on a state-by-state basis to make sure that they are compliant with the statutory schemes as constructed now, and that they provide the most balanced security as we can have in those states,” the official said.  Most necessary ballot-safeguard reforms concern mail-in voting, the official said.  “The more steps you separate the voter from the ballot,” he said, “the less secure it becomes.”  The RNC has also expanded its litigation strategy in support of election integrity. Party officials say they were engaged in more than 170 lawsuits during the last election cycle, three times more than in any previous cycle, marking a shift away from a reactive to a proactive legal strategy. “We actually went out and looked for opportunities to engage, instead of waiting for somebody to get sued and then rushing in to defend them,” an RNC official said. States with universal mail-in voting, like California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, and Washington, are particularly of concern.  Nevada, a swing state, has the “trifecta of bad election-law practices.” It mails ballots to every voter whether or not they request it, it has problems with its voter-roll cleanup, and it has unlimited ballot collection, the official said. In March 2024, the RNC filed a federal lawsuit against Nevada Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar, arguing that the state has failed to properly maintain its voter rolls.  The RNC also sued to challenge Nevada’s law regarding the counting of mail-in ballots. The law allows ballots without a clear postmark to be counted if they arrive within three days of the election. Earlier this year, the RNC sent records requests to nearly every state as well as Washington, D.C., asking for documentation about voter-list maintenance practices. “Since we’ve gotten some of that back, we have initiated some lawsuits based on not complying with those records requests, or actually sent [National Voter Registration Act] violation letters to some states as well, saying that they are out of compliance, and that is a tool that we can use to force them to clean their rolls,” the official said.  Section 8 of the National Voter Registration Act requires states to remove ineligible voters—such as those who have died or moved out of the jurisdiction—from the voter rolls. The RNC is supporting the Department of Justice’s focus on cleaning up voter rolls, as well.  “We have flagged for the Department of Justice the correspondence in a few areas where we thought that were problematic in some states that were having problems,” the official said.  In July, the RNC filed a lawsuit in New Jersey against the Division of Elections accusing it of failing to produce records on voter-roll maintenance and election integrity. The official said the RNC was “very successful” in the Democrat-controlled blue states it focused on last cycle. But now that the focus has shifted to congressional elections, every state has House races the RNC cares about.  The RNC defended Indiana’s law prohibiting the use of student identification cards as a form of voter ID. In Kansas and Mississippi, the RNC intervened to defend the law saying that all ballots must be received by Election Day. The RNC’s efforts to carry out the president’s election-integrity agenda will yield significant results in the outcome of midterms, according to the committee.  “We’re being as aggressive as we can be with what we’re working with right now,” the official said. “That’s why we’ve got dozens and dozens of lawsuits already.”  The post How the RNC Is Helping Trump Carry Out His Election-Integrity Agenda Ahead of Midterms appeared first on The Daily Signal.