Free Republic

The 22-year-old accused of murdering Charlie Kirk came from a stable family in a thriving town. But that wasn’t enough… That is the lesson of Tyler Robinson. And lurking behind that lesson: the fear that every teenager in America is a would-be Tyler Robinson, always vulnerable to the forces of death and nihilism. “How had he lost so much of his soul?” Utah governor Spencer Cox asked me about Robinson. We were in his office at the state Capitol. He didn’t know what to make of the “meme culture” that Robinson had been a part of, and the flood of...

“In an interview on the Shawn Ryan Show, Brian Harpole, Charlie Kirk’s head of security, publicly revealed text messages with Utah Valley University Police Chief Jeff Long in which they discussed the rooftop vulnerabilities and the chief vowed, “I got you covered.” The exchange took place in the days leading up to Kirk’s September 10 speaking event at UVU, where the Turning Point USA founder was fatally shot by a gunman who is said to have fired from a rooftop position.”

A Utah judge just turned a safe Republican congressional seat into a near-guaranteed Democrat seat — and she did it in a state controlled top to bottom by Republicans. How does that happen? A generation of weak Republicans in the elected branches handed liberals control of the judicial branch and gave them the ballot initiative system they needed to take over the state piece by piece. Democrats can’t win statewide office in half the country, so they’ve turned ballot initiatives into their weapon of choice. Pollsters craft soothing messaging, activists gather signatures, and voters — thinking they’re supporting neutrality —...

A Utah judge just handed Democrats a major win ahead of the 2026 midterms, tossing out a GOP-drawn congressional map and replacing it with one that carves out a new Democratic-leaning district in the deep-red state. Utah District Judge Dianna Gibson ruled late Monday that the map approved by the Republican-controlled legislature “unduly favors Republicans and disfavors Democrats.” The ruling wipes out the current lines, which gave the GOP control of all four congressional districts. The move marks the latest flashpoint in a coast-to-coast redistricting war, one pitting President Donald Trump and his Republican allies against Democrats fighting for control...

The female migrant who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers at Salt Lake City airport did not know she had a long-serving deportation order, according to a lawyer working on her case. Marta Brizeyda Renderos Leiva, 39, was arrested by plain-clothed agents at the Utah travel hub last Wednesday. Footage of her arrest showed the wailing mother-of-four imploring, 'Help me, I have my papers' as she was taken into custody by ICE. Now, her legal team has claimed Leiva 'did not know' that a judge had placed a removal order against her. 'She is a woman who...

A higher power will hand down judgment for the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk, his widow Erika Kirk believes, and she doesn’t want a role in deciding whether he should receive the death penalty if he is convicted. “I do not want this man’s blood on my ledger when I stand before the Lord,” she told Fox News’ Jesse Watters in an interview aired Wednesday evening. “I want the government to decide. It’s Biblical too. Justice will ultimately be served.”

Stacy Cox used one word repeatedly as she described how she felt after learning her ACA premium could jump over 300% without the enhanced tax credits: "devastating." "I don't know if I've ever cried opening a letter from an insurance or before, but it happened this time," she told ABC News. Cox's premium this year has been $495.32 for coverage for her and her husband. Without the credit in 2026, she was informed that it's increasing to $2,168.68. "It's devastating because we can't afford that," she said. "Just that bill right there, that's more than our mortgage, our insurance, most...

Distressing footage showed a female migrant scream 'Help me, I have my papers' as she was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers at Salt Lake City airport. Marta Brizeyda Renderos Leiva, 39, was dragged away by plainclothes agents to the horror of eyewitnesses at the Utah travel hub on Wednesday. Footage emerged of her arrest, with Leiva seen being grabbed her by the arms as she was placed in cuffs, pulling her up from the floor as she kicked out her legs. She let out bloodcurdling cries as they did, shouting: 'Help me, help me, I have my papers....

Distressing footage showed a female migrant scream 'help me, I have my papers' as she was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers at Salt Lake City airport. Marta Brizeyda Renderos Leiva, 39, was dragged away by plainclothes agents at the Utah travel hub on Wednesday. Footage emerged of her arrest, with Leiva seen being grabbed her by the arms as she was placed in cuffs, pulling her up from the floor as she kicked out her legs and stamped her feet. She let out bloodcurdling cries as they did, saying: 'Help me, help me, I have my papers. Help...

The defense team for Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old accused of assassinating conservative icon Charlie Kirk, has filed a motion requesting that he appear in civilian clothing without restraints during court proceedings and that cameras be banned from the courtroom. Robinson is charged with aggravated murder and other felonies for the September 10 shooting death of Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, during a speech at Utah Valley University. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, citing the presence of children at the event and the political nature of the crime. In a 20-page filing submitted on Wednesday, defense attorneys, including...

A United Airlines airplane traveling from Denver to Los Angeles that made an emergency landing after its windshield cracked may have struck a weather balloon while at a cruising altitude of 36,000 feet over Utah. The flight safely made an emergency landing in Salt Lake City. A pilot reportedly sustained injuries from the incident. A Silicon Valley company called Windborne Systems, which operates long-duration weather balloons, said one of its devices may have struck the aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the incident. "The NTSB is investigating a cracked windscreen on a...

A SkyWest flight heading for Los Angeles turned around shortly after it took off after pilots feared someone was breaking into the cockpit. The plane’s system that allows the pilots and crew to communicate with each other malfunctioned, according to KABC-TV. That led flight crew members to pound on the cabin door to communicate with the pilots. The pilots feared that the pounding was an attempt by someone to force open the cockpit. Because they were unable to reach anyone in the crew due to the communications system glitch, they returned to Omaha, Nebraska, after covering only about 40 miles...

A flight bound for Los Angeles International Airport on Monday evening was diverted after a communication issue resulted in the pilots thinking people were trying to breach the cockpit, officials said. An American Airlines flight left from Eppley Airfield in Omaha around 4:40 p.m. and returned to the airport about 20 minutes later for an unknown reason, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.A spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration told KTLA-TV Channel 5 that the plane was diverted because of an issue with the plane’s internal phone communication system. The pilot reportedly declared an emergency and turned around after he...

When two transgender Utah girls and their parents sued to stop a law passed three years ago that would ban them from participating in sports with other girls, they were going into eighth and ninth grades, fighting as they entered high school to share in the same pastimes as their peers. But as they enter their final years of high school, after three years in court and amid President Donald Trump’s second term in office, their case to run and swim with classmates who are their same gender has fallen apart.

Less than a month removed from Charlie's assassination in Utah, the Salt Lake Tribune published this cartoon entitled "The Hole-in-the-Head Gang" depicting a wanted poster with elected officials from the state (with red around the neck?!).

“The issue is never the issue. The issue is the revolution,” said the late David Horowitz, quoting a 1960s rebel. The Palestinian conflict, the climate, transgenderism, immigration, and abortion are all proximate causes for protests and now terrorism. But they are all also part of an amalgamated “omnicause” whose real purpose is to bring down the United States and the West. Following the assassination of Charlie Kirk and other recent tragedies that are rightly garnering worldwide attention, our leaders have finally woken up and are looking into who the perpetrators are and who organizes and finances them. After Kirk’s death,...

Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican Congresswoman from Florida, has basically confirmed that Kash’s FBI is investigating the Dark Web extremist group “Armed Queers” of Salt Lake City in connection with the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Its founder is an Iranian and funded by Neville Singham and the Chinese Communist Party. Anna basically said that the Dark Web militant group called Armed Queers of Utah is being investigated by Kash’s FBI for facilitating Charlie’s murder (likely using Tyler as a patsy) and Charlie’s assassination was likely funded by foreign actors like the Chinese Communist Party, Iran (Hamas) and Qatar (the Muslim...

A Midvale mother was arrested Tuesday after police say was torturing her 4-month-old baby daughter by doing such things as burning her face, taping her mouth shut and taping her hands behind her back. Lizbeth Hurtado-Breton, 36, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of child torture and two counts of aggravated child abuse. On Tuesday, the Division of Child and Family Services contacted Unified police after a a young girl was taken to Primary Children's Hospital with severe burns on her face. "The child also has several bone fractures and a brain bleed and several other...

MAPLETON, Utah (KUTV) — A woman was arrested on misdemeanor charges after allegedly chasing and threatening a group of juveniles who had ding-dong-ditched her home. An officer with the Mapleton City Police Department responded to a "juvenile problem" after a resident called to report a group that had rang their doorbell and run away. The person who called to report the problem had allegedly followed the group through Mapleton and Springville to a random driveway, according to court documents. Police said the caller's wife then arrived at the scene and blocked the juveniles' vehicle in the driveway, preventing them from...

Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson called in remotely to Monday’s court hearing, during which his public defenders asked the judge for more time to review evidence and determine whether they would seek a preliminary hearing. Robinson, 22, has three public defenders: Kathy Nester, Michael Burt, and Richard Novak. Judge Tony Graf set an October 30th hearing and said Tyler Robinson will attend in person.