From the desk of Rich Stephens
News for the week ending 7-11-26
Below find the expanded text from tonight’s broadcast. For corrections or additions, contact Rich directly.
Politics
Questions Grow Over Mitch McConnell’s Health After Weeks Without Direct Public Update
Questions are growing over Senator Mitch McConnell’s health after weeks without a direct public update from the Kentucky Republican.
McConnell’s office has acknowledged through spokesperson statements that he was hospitalized on June 14. Since then, the office has said he is improving and working with staff on Kentucky and Senate matters, but it has not publicly explained why he was hospitalized, where he is being treated, or when he is expected to return.
McConnell has not appeared publicly or issued a direct public statement since that reported hospitalization. Republican allies say they have spoken with him, but the public has not heard from McConnell himself.
While that was happening, his wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, was in China. The Chinese Embassy says Chao met Chinese Vice President Han Zheng in Beijing on June 17, three days after McConnell’s reported hospitalization. A Chao spokesperson later said the trip was long-planned, tied to family philanthropic work, and that McConnell’s health did not require an immediate return to the United States.
On July 8, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear sent McConnell a public letter asking for more information. Beshear wrote that Kentuckians had grown concerned about McConnell’s health, wellbeing, and ability to hold office. He asked McConnell to fully update Kentuckians on the current status of his health.
The law adds another clock. Kentucky no longer allows the governor to simply appoint a temporary U.S. senator. If McConnell’s seat becomes vacant, it has to be filled by special election, and the winner serves the rest of the unexpired term.
For that race to fit onto Kentucky’s November 3 ballot, the vacancy would likely need to occur by August 3. Kentucky’s 2026 election calendar gives candidates an August 11 filing deadline when a vacancy occurs after the regular filing deadline but not less than three months before the election. Because the general election is November 3, that three-month mark falls on August 3.
There is no confirmed vacancy and no official statement that McConnell is unable to serve. The verified record is narrower: he was hospitalized June 14, his office says he is improving, Republican allies say they have spoken with him, his wife was in China days after the hospitalization, and Kentucky’s governor has asked for a public update directly from the senator.
Senator Mitch McConnell official press releases
Governor Andy Beshear letter to Senator Mitch McConnell
Chinese Embassy item on Elaine Chao meeting Chinese Vice President Han Zheng
WAVE report including Elaine Chao spokesperson statement
Spectrum News report including McConnell office and Senate Republican spokesperson statements
Kentucky law on special elections for U.S. Senate vacancies
Kentucky law on proclamation timing for special elections
Kentucky law on special-election candidate filing deadline
Kentucky 2026 election calendar
Supreme Court Expands Presidential Removal Power But Leaves Federal Reserve Protected
On Monday, June 29, the Supreme Court issued two rulings on the President’s power to remove federal officials.
In Trump v. Slaughter, the Court ruled that President Trump could remove Federal Trade Commission Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, even though federal law had protected FTC commissioners from removal except for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.
Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the Federal Trade Commission exercises executive power, and that officers who exercise the President’s power must be removable by the President.
The Court overruled what remained of Humphrey’s Executor, the 1935 case that protected some independent-agency officials from removal except for cause.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson. She wrote that Congress and the President have long created bipartisan, multimember agencies with removal protections to keep some government functions at a distance from direct partisan control.
In Trump v. Cook, the Court drew a line around the Federal Reserve.
President Trump attempted to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook after allegations that she claimed two different properties as her primary residence in mortgage agreements signed 14 days apart.
The Court did not decide whether those allegations were cause for removal. It refused to let the removal take effect while litigation continues.
Roberts wrote that the Federal Reserve follows the historical tradition of the First and Second Banks of the United States, and that monetary policy should not be subject to political interference.
The Court held that Federal Reserve governors still have for-cause removal protection, and that Cook must receive at least some explanation of the evidence and a chance to respond before a final removal decision.
The result is a split rule: most independent agencies exercising executive power are now subject to presidential removal, but the Federal Reserve remains protected.
Supreme Court Opinion – Trump v. Slaughter
Supreme Court Docket – Trump v. Slaughter
Supreme Court Order – Trump v. Cook
Supreme Court Docket – Trump v. Cook
Andrew Gillum Arrested In Alabama On Drug Charges
Andrew Gillum, the former Tallahassee mayor who narrowly lost Florida’s 2018 governor race, was arrested in Alabama this week on drug-related charges.
Records cited from the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office jail roster list Gillum’s full name as Andrew Demetric Gillum and show an arrest time of July 2 at 10:44 p.m. The listed charges are possession of dangerous drugs, drug paraphernalia, and second-degree marijuana possession.
The original jail record and original Daphne Police Department release were not found in this review. Local reports quoting Daphne Police say officers stopped Gillum on U.S. 98 near North Main Street after observing erratic driving. Police reportedly said an officer saw a glass pipe on the center console, searched the vehicle, and recovered rolled marijuana cigarettes and three packages of a substance that tested positive for methamphetamine.
Gillum was the Democratic nominee for Florida governor in 2018. Official state results show Ron DeSantis and Jeanette Nuñez received 4,076,186 votes, while Gillum and Chris King received 4,043,723. The margin was 32,463 votes.
The Alabama arrest follows other legal and personal issues after Gillum’s 2018 campaign. In 2022, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida announced that Gillum and Sharon Lettman-Hicks had been indicted on federal conspiracy and wire-fraud charges. Gillum was also charged with making false statements to FBI agents.
DOJ said the indictment alleged that funds were solicited through false promises and representations, then diverted through third parties and disguised as payroll payments to Gillum for personal use. DOJ also said an indictment is only an allegation and not evidence of guilt.
Gillum had also previously said he was entering treatment after a 2020 Miami Beach incident, saying after his governor race that he had fallen into depression that led to alcohol abuse. A direct Gillum-owned source for that statement was not found in this review, so the current source spine is strongest on the 2018 election results, the 2022 federal indictment, and the reported Alabama booking information.
As of this review, no direct public statement from Gillum about the Alabama arrest was found.
WCTV report citing Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office jail roster
Florida Department of State 2018 general election results
U.S. Attorney’s Office announcement of federal indictment against Andrew Gillum and Sharon Lettman-Hicks
Graham Platner Suspends Maine Senate Campaign After Rape Allegation
Graham Platner has suspended his U.S. Senate campaign in Maine after a woman publicly accused him of raping her in 2021.
Jenny Racicot said she and Platner met on Bumble in 2019 and had a casual dating relationship. She said the alleged assault happened near the end of 2021, after Platner came into her home despite her telling him not to come over.
In Racicot’s account, Platner was heavily intoxicated, ignored her saying no, and forced himself on her. She said she initially fought him off, then decided complying was the safest option because she did not know how much worse the situation could get. She said compliance was not consent.
Platner denied the allegation. In an 11-minute video statement, he said the claims were false and that the things alleged did not happen. He said suspending campaign operations was not an admission of guilt.
“We believe that for the movement to continue, it can’t be me. And for that reason, we are suspending campaign operations. This is incredibly difficult because I know that some will think it’s an admission of guilt, and it most certainly is not. We’re not doing it because of the allegations. We’re doing it because of the structures that are being taken away from us by those in power.”
Platner argued that the timing was political. He said the allegation came in the final week before he would become the official nominee, and said the political establishment was using it to strip away the basic tools his campaign needed to operate. He said larger organizations, the national party, and bigger donor networks had committed to spending no money in the race if he stayed in.
His public support collapsed quickly. Senator Bernie Sanders said he had spoken with Platner and recommended that he step aside. Representative Ro Khanna said sexual assault or violence against women was a red line, called the allegations serious and credible, and withdrew his endorsement.
The Maine Democratic Party also moved against him. Party leadership said multiple women had made serious, credible allegations against Platner. Executive Director Devon Murphy-Anderson later said the party remained focused on a representative, transparent, and inclusive process to choose a new nominee, and accused the Platner campaign of trying to manipulate the process.
Platner had already faced controversy before Racicot’s interview. The Maine Monitor published a searchable archive of comments it attributed to Platner’s deleted Reddit account, including posts about sexual assault and alcohol, race, police, political violence, and guns. Because that archive is not the original Reddit source, it should be treated as an attributed archive rather than a direct primary-source record.
Platner had also faced criticism over a chest tattoo described by critics as a Nazi-era Totenkopf symbol. The Anti-Defamation League says the Totenkopf was adopted by Hitler’s Schutzstaffel during the Nazi era. A direct Platner statement about the tattoo was not included in this source review.
On July 8, Platner suspended campaign operations and said he intended to file paperwork to withdraw. The Maine Democratic Party says he won the Democratic primary on June 9 and withdrew from the race on July 8.
The party says state committee members voted to use a nominating convention to choose a replacement nominee. Maine law gives the party until 5 p.m. on the fourth Monday in July to make a replacement nomination.
Jenny Racicot interview video
Graham Platner withdrawal video
Maine Democratic Party Senate nomination process
Maine Democratic Party leadership statement on allegations against Graham Platner
Maine Democratic Party statement from Devon Murphy-Anderson
Maine Democratic Party statement on U.S. Senate nomination process
Maine Democratic Party update on U.S. Senate nomination process
Maine law on replacement nominations
Bernie Sanders statement on Graham Platner
Ro Khanna statement on Graham Platner
Movement Voter Project statement on Graham Platner exiting the race
The Maine Monitor archive of comments attributed to Graham Platner’s deleted Reddit account
Anti-Defamation League entry on the Totenkopf symbol
Current Events
Buckled Columns Force Evacuations Around Midtown Manhattan High-Rise
New York City officials evacuated a Midtown Manhattan construction site and several surrounding buildings Tuesday after two structural columns buckled inside a 37-story high-rise undergoing conversion from offices into residences.
The Fire Department received a 911 call at 7:57 a.m. reporting bricks falling from the upper floors of 235 East 42nd Street, between Second and Third avenues.
Firefighters entered the construction site, accounted for every worker and found no injuries.
Department of Buildings inspectors and engineers later identified two buckled structural columns on the 21st floor, along with multiple cracks and sagging sections of floor.
Fire Department Chief John Esposito said steel box beams inside the building had begun bending and deflecting under the weight above them.
The structure continued moving after emergency crews arrived.
Firefighters installed specialized monitoring equipment capable of detecting movement in fractions of an inch. Esposito said the continued movement meant the building remained unstable and presented a serious danger.
Because the building uses a steel structural frame, officials did not expect the entire tower to collapse at once. A localized collapse involving part of the building remained possible.
The city initially deployed approximately 150 fire and emergency medical personnel and more than 50 units. Police established a frozen zone from East 40th to East 45th Streets between First and Third avenues while firefighters evacuated the construction site and seven nearby buildings.
A nearby school with approximately 400 students was also evacuated.
The building was undergoing a substantial office-to-residential conversion. Department of Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani said the property consists of a 37-story section and a lower 22-story section where contractors had added 11 floors.
That expansion had already topped out by the time of the emergency.
Tigani said the conversion and its structural changes had undergone approximately two years of review by the Department of Buildings. Investigators are now examining why the structure failed and whether the conditions inside the building matched its approved plans.
The city has not determined whether the vertical addition contributed to the buckled columns.
The immediate challenge was stabilizing the 21st floor without placing engineers or construction workers inside an unsafe structure.
Fire Department drones monitored the exterior while city inspectors, the building’s engineers and contractors developed a shoring plan.
Tigani said emergency struts, beams and temporary columns would be installed to take pressure off the damaged load-bearing members and redistribute the weight across the floor. Additional supports could also be added beneath cracked or weakened areas.
Before that work could begin, engineers had to determine that crews could safely enter the building.
Officials initially believed bricks had fallen from the upper floors, based on the emergency call. Tigani later said inspectors did not see evidence of building materials continuing to fall after they arrived.
A reporter asked city officials about claims from a construction union representative that corners had been cut and that the contractor performing the work was nonunion.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani did not confirm those claims.
He said the city’s immediate priority was stabilizing the building and protecting the surrounding neighborhood, while the Department of Buildings continued investigating what caused the failure and how to prevent it from happening again.
No official finding has established that contractors deviated from the approved plans, used improper materials or caused the structural damage through deficient work.
The emergency perimeter has since been reduced, but several neighboring buildings remain under evacuation orders.
The city’s current advisory lists 815 Second Avenue, 235 East 43rd Street, 231 East 43rd Street and 225 East 43rd Street as closed to occupants. The ground-floor restaurant at 217 East 43rd Street also remains evacuated.
East 43rd Street between Second and Third avenues remains closed, along with part of the sidewalk on the west side of East 42nd Street.
Other residents and workers in the area may enter buildings that are not covered by the evacuation orders.
The city has not provided a timetable for reopening the remaining properties.
No injuries were reported, but the incident prompted one of the largest recent emergency responses to an active Manhattan construction site.
The cause of the buckled columns and sagging floors remains under investigation.
New York City mayoral press conference transcript
New York City emergency advisory
Fire Department statement
Mayor’s evacuation update
Twenty-Four Arrested in International Crackdown on India-Based Crime Organizations
Federal authorities arrested 24 people across the United States, Canada and Europe in a coordinated operation targeting three India-based criminal organizations accused of assassination, kidnapping, extortion and international drug trafficking.
On Tuesday, July 7, the United States Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles unsealed three indictments charging 37 defendants.
The investigation, called Operation Hard Ball, involved law enforcement agencies in the United States, Canada, Spain, India and several other countries.
Eleven defendants were arrested in California, one in Indiana, one in Georgia, three in Canada and one in Spain. Seven defendants were already in custody before the operation.
Authorities were still searching for ten fugitives.
First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli said 15 defendants operating in the United States were in the country illegally.
The investigation produced the seizure of approximately 1,000 kilograms of cocaine, one kilogram of heroin, about $40,000 and a dozen firearms. Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said the weapons included fully automatic machine guns.
The first indictment targets the Lawrence Bishnoi organization.
Lawrence Bishnoi, 33, allegedly runs the international organization while imprisoned in India.
According to the indictment, contraband phones and internet-based communication allowed Bishnoi to direct political assassinations, murders, shootings, extortion, kidnapping, drug trafficking and human smuggling from inside his jail cell.
The organization included thousands of members and associates around the world.
Satinderjeet Singh, known as Goldy Brar, allegedly served as its North American leader. Rohit Godara allegedly directed its European operations.
Bishnoi and Brar are accused of ordering the June 18, 2023 assassination of a prominent Sikh political and religious figure in Surrey, British Columbia.
The victim was identified in the indictment only as “H.S.N.” Two gunmen shot him as he left a Sikh temple.
Prosecutors said the organization used prominent murders and shootings to create fear within Indian communities and strengthen its extortion operations.
Members allegedly contacted victims through WhatsApp and other encrypted services, demanded money and threatened to kill victims or their relatives.
One attempted extortion demanded $5 million from a victim in Thousand Oaks, California.
The organization also allegedly financed itself by trafficking narcotics and stealing shipments from rival gangs.
Between March 2024 and July 2025, the group allegedly stole approximately 520 kilograms—or 1,146 pounds—of cocaine from other trafficking organizations in the Los Angeles area.
In November 2024, authorities intercepted another 49 kilograms of cocaine that was being prepared for transportation by semi-truck from the United States into Canada.
Goldy Brar remained at large after the arrests. The FBI offered a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to his arrest and extradition.
The second indictment charges 17 defendants connected to the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria organization.
Bhagwanpuria, 38, is also imprisoned in India but allegedly continued directing an organization with more than 1,000 members worldwide and more than 100 members in the United States.
The organization is accused of murder-for-hire, drug trafficking, kidnapping, extortion, weapons trafficking and corruption.
Prosecutors said members sometimes worked with corrupt police and government officials in India to fabricate criminal accusations against enemies and extortion victims.
One alleged scheme began when Gurlal Singh, an illegal immigrant living in Stockton, threatened a victim and passed the victim’s information to a corrupt law enforcement official in India.
The victim, the victim’s father and the victim’s sister were later falsely accused of involvement in a January murder in India.
During the press conference, prosecutors said the official involved was an Indian police chief who demanded approximately $400,000 and threatened to prosecute the family for murder if the payment was not made.
The police chief had been charged but remained outside the United States. Prosecutors said they intended to seek his extradition.
A separate defendant, 26-year-old Gurdev Singh, allegedly attempted to extort a family while being held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody.
The Justice Department said he threatened to “put [] bullets in your kids” if the family did not pay.
Investigators had not determined whether Singh communicated through a phone smuggled into the detention facility or used other people and outside telephone lines.
The Bhagwanpuria organization also allegedly financed its operations through drug and weapons trafficking.
In June 2025, law enforcement intercepted a shipment of 99.2 kilograms of cocaine and one kilogram of heroin intended for movement from Southern California to the eastern United States.
The third indictment targets a separate drug-trafficking network allegedly led by Ravinder Singh Dhanda.
Dhanda, 57, is also known as “Randy,” “Rolex” and “John Wick.”
Prosecutors said his organization transported bulk cocaine and methamphetamine for trafficking organizations operating in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The drugs were stored and loaded in the greater Los Angeles area before being concealed inside commercial semi-trucks and driven north.
Some shipments were hidden aboard trucks connected to working farms.
The indictment identifies 430.1 kilograms—or approximately 948 pounds—of cocaine transported between July 2023 and November 2024.
Dhanda and two other defendants were arrested in the greater Vancouver area. A fourth Canadian defendant was still being sought in Europe.
Dhanda faces a mandatory minimum sentence of life imprisonment if convicted of operating a continuing criminal enterprise.
Authorities said the three organizations used California as a hub for violence, extortion and international narcotics transportation.
Most of the drugs originated in Mexico, but officials said California was often a transit point rather than the final market. Commercial trucks carried the shipments to other parts of the United States or into Canada.
The organizations also allegedly targeted members of Indian communities living in the United States and Canada.
Investigators said gang members collected information about victims and their relatives, threatened family members in India and sometimes enlisted corrupt Indian officials to file false charges or increase the pressure.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation said the groups also recruited disadvantaged young people in India. Minors were allegedly selected in some cases to reduce prison exposure and the cost of carrying out shootings and other violent crimes.
Operation Hard Ball was conducted through a federal Homeland Security Task Force and included the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Los Angeles Police Department, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, Customs and Border Protection, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and several state, local and foreign agencies.
Canadian investigators were embedded with the FBI, and evidence was collected in the United States, Canada, Mexico, France and Spain.
Officials said the Indian government cooperated with the investigation, despite allegations that individual corrupt Indian officers participated in some extortion schemes.
The investigation did not begin in response to an imminent attack. Prosecutors said the arrests followed years of evidence collection, recent grand-jury indictments and the coordination required to make arrests in several countries at the same time.
The precise number of search warrants remains unclear.
The Justice Department’s written release lists 23 warrants in the Sacramento area and 11 in the Los Angeles area.
During the press conference, officials separately referred to totals of 42 and 50 warrants, including warrants executed in Canada.
The operation nevertheless represents one of the largest coordinated American actions against India-based organized crime networks.
“This isn’t a matter of just simply arresting a street dealer here or a gang member there,” Essayli said. “This is doing what the Department of Justice does best: dismantling organized criminal organizations.”
The 37 defendants face charges including racketeering conspiracy, attempted extortion, drug-trafficking conspiracy, firearms offenses, possession of a machine gun and operating a continuing criminal enterprise.
Operation Hard Ball press conference
Justice Department announcement on Operation Hard Ball
Trump Seeks Supreme Court Rehearing After Texas Birth-Package Advertising
President Donald Trump says he will ask the Supreme Court to reconsider its birthright-citizenship ruling after a Texas hospital was accused of marketing childbirth packages to foreign nationals.
On Tuesday, July 7, Governor Greg Abbott directed the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to investigate Mission Regional Medical Center, located near the Mexican border in Mission.
Abbott said reports showed the hospital targeting foreign nationals with “birth packages in South Texas” in an apparent effort to profit from parents securing American citizenship for children born in the United States.
The advertisements promoted South Texas deliveries beginning at approximately $4,000. The documented advertising offered maternity services but did not expressly promise citizenship or identify the customers as illegal immigrants.
Abbott nevertheless characterized the program as potential birth tourism.
“Birth tourism is an illegal practice that exploits the extraordinary hospitality that the United States and Texas offer to millions of foreign travelers each year,” Abbott said. “Thousands of foreign travelers come to the United States under false pretenses to give birth and secure citizenship for their children.”
Abbott ordered the commission to investigate possible violations of state law and the hospital’s contractual obligations. Any violations are to be referred to the Texas attorney general for civil enforcement and the appropriate district or county attorney for possible criminal prosecution.
The commission may also impose administrative sanctions and penalties against the hospital.
“American citizenship is not for sale and Texas will not permit our healthcare system to be used as a magnet for birth tourism,” Abbott wrote in his directive.
No violation has been established. Abbott’s order opened an investigation but did not identify a specific law the hospital had already been proven to have violated.
Texas Representative Brian Harrison called for the Legislature to go further. Harrison said Texas should prohibit the issuance of birth certificates when neither parent is an American citizen.
A birth certificate is a state record documenting a birth, while American citizenship is governed by federal law and the Constitution. Withholding a state birth certificate would therefore create a separate legal fight without necessarily changing the child’s federal citizenship status.
On Wednesday, July 8, Trump connected the Texas advertising directly to the Supreme Court’s recent birthright-citizenship decision.
“Signs and Billboards are being put up all over our Southern Border, and Mexico, advertising BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP, with ‘Deliveries starting at $4000,’” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Billions of Dollars will be illegally made by this SCAM, with Citizenship going to anyone willing to pay,” he continued.
Trump then announced that he would ask the Supreme Court to reopen the case.
“I will be asking for a Rehearing by the United States Supreme Court, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump wrote.
The official Texas material identifies advertising connected to one hospital. It does not establish that billboards are appearing throughout Mexico or along the entire southern border, and it does not say the advertisements themselves used the words “birthright citizenship.”
The investigation followed the Supreme Court’s June 30 decision addressing Trump’s effort to restrict automatic citizenship.
Trump’s executive order sought to deny citizenship to certain children born in the United States when their mothers were unlawfully or temporarily present and their fathers were neither citizens nor lawful permanent residents.
The Supreme Court held that children born in the United States to parents who are unlawfully or temporarily present are subject to American jurisdiction and are citizens at birth under the Fourteenth Amendment.
The ruling expressly covered children born to parents who are temporarily present. Evidence that some foreign nationals intentionally travel to the United States to give birth may therefore strengthen Trump’s policy argument without changing the constitutional analysis adopted by the Court.
Immigration violations committed by a parent are also legally separate from the citizenship status of a child born in the United States. A parent could potentially violate immigration law by lying about the purpose of a trip while the child still receives citizenship under the Supreme Court’s interpretation.
Supreme Court rules allow a party to seek rehearing after a decision on the merits. The petition must generally be filed within 25 days and must identify substantial grounds not previously presented or circumstances with a substantial or controlling effect.
Trump’s Truth Social post is not itself a court filing. A formal request would ordinarily be submitted by the solicitor general and entered on the Supreme Court docket.
The Texas investigation will separately determine whether Mission Regional Medical Center violated state law, its contractual obligations or any administrative requirements.
For now, the hospital advertising is documented, Abbott has ordered an investigation, Harrison is calling for state legislation and Trump has promised to ask the Supreme Court to reconsider its birthright-citizenship decision.
Governor Abbott orders investigation into birth-tourism packages
Governor Abbott’s directive to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission
President Trump’s Truth Social statement
Representative Brian Harrison’s statement
Supreme Court birthright-citizenship decision
Rules of the Supreme Court
Five-Day Hearing Details Evidence Against Accused Killer of Charlie Kirk
A five-day preliminary hearing for the accused killer of Charlie Kirk ended without an immediate decision on whether the case will proceed to trial.
The state must file its written bind-over argument by July 28. The defense will respond by August 11, followed by a state reply on August 18. Both sides will return to court Tuesday, September 1, at 10:00 a.m. for up to four hours of oral argument before the judge considers whether the prosecution established probable cause.
The hearing included campus surveillance, physical evidence, DNA testing, firearm examinations, messages attributed to the accused and a recorded interview with his roommate and romantic partner.
Utah Valley University surveillance showed a man investigators identified as the accused visiting campus several times on September 10. He first arrived in a silver Dodge Challenger around 8:30 a.m., walked through the campus and left about an hour later.
He returned shortly after 10 a.m. wearing the same clothing and carrying a blue backpack. He walked through campus, entered a wooded area and later returned without the backpack. Investigators said he also visited the access point leading to the roof of the Losi Center before leaving campus again.
The man returned around 12:15 p.m. in different clothing but wearing the same shoes. Surveillance showed him moving toward the Losi Center, climbing over a railing and entering the roof.
The shooting was reported at 12:23 p.m. The rooftop subject moved into a prone position near the southwest corner before standing and running toward the northeast side of the building immediately after the shot.
The subject lowered himself from the roof, landed beside the building and crossed Campus Drive into a wooded area.
A Utah Valley University officer reached the rooftop about 20 minutes after the shooting. He found disturbed gravel resembling a prone shooting position and a red-and-black screwdriver. The position had a direct line of sight to the tent where Kirk had been seated approximately 415 feet away and 68 feet below the roof.
Investigators found no fired cartridge case or bullet on the rooftop. Because the recovered weapon was a bolt-action rifle, however, a fired casing would have remained inside the rifle unless the shooter manually operated the bolt.
Shortly before 6 p.m., officers searching the wooded area found a rifle wrapped in a dark towel. The weapon was identified as a Mauser 98 bolt-action rifle chambered in .30-06.
One fired cartridge case remained inside the chamber. Three unfired cartridges were also inside the rifle.
All four carried engraved messages. The fired casing contained the phrase, “Notices bulges OwO what’s this?” The unfired cartridges included “Hey fascist! Catch!”; “O Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao Ciao Ciao”; and “If you read this, you are gay LMAO.”
A firearm examiner with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives test-fired the rifle and concluded that the casing recovered from its chamber had been fired in that weapon.
The examiner also compared the rifle with the damaged bullet jacket and four lead fragments recovered during Kirk’s autopsy. The fragment shared the rifle’s general class characteristics, including caliber range and rifling direction, but the examiner found insufficient individual markings to identify or exclude the rifle as its source.
The result was inconclusive.
The examiner testified that the fragment may or may not have been fired from the recovered rifle. She said no additional conventional comparison could resolve the question, although three-dimensional imaging available at another laboratory could potentially provide additional information.
Investigators searched the accused’s home in St. George after his surrender. They recovered a Dremel tool and bits, boxes of .30-06 ammunition, five fired .30-06 casings, shooting targets and a partially burned piece of paper.
One casing found on top of a safe was engraved “test shot.”
A toolmark examiner concluded that the five casings recovered from the residence had been fired from the same Mauser rifle found near the campus. The examiner also concluded that one of the recovered Dremel bits made the engravings found on the fired casing and cartridges inside the rifle, as well as the “test shot” casing recovered from the home.
Investigators did not find another .30-06 rifle inside the residence.
DNA testing produced several statistical results supporting the accused’s inclusion as a possible contributor to evidence recovered during the investigation.
Testing on the rifle included the stock, grips, butt plate, trigger and trigger guard, bolt, fore-end, barrel, scope and the protected underside of the receiver. Ammunition from the rifle was also tested.
Several calculations reached the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives laboratory’s reporting cap. The profiles were reported as at least one trillion times more likely under a proposition that included the accused than under a proposition involving only unrelated unknown contributors.
The probability of an unrelated person who had not contributed DNA producing the same level of statistical support was reported as less than one in one trillion for several samples.
The DNA examiner emphasized that the laboratory does not make absolute identifications. She described the accused only as a possible contributor whose inclusion was supported by the results.
The DNA could not establish when it was deposited, how it reached the evidence or what activity caused it to be transferred.
The samples were also mixtures involving multiple people. Some contained DNA from at least four or five contributors, and several showed degradation.
The examiner said DNA can remain on an object for extended periods and can be transferred indirectly. She gave the example of one person shaking another person’s hand before the second person touched an object, potentially transferring the first person’s DNA without the first person ever handling the object.
The trigger and trigger guard were swabbed together. The examiner could not determine which part contained the accused’s possible DNA contribution or when it was deposited.
DNA associated with other people was also detected. Testing supported inclusion of the accused’s father on portions of the rifle and supported inclusion of roommate Lance Twigs on parts of the Dremel tool. Both were treated as elimination samples because of their associations with the rifle or residence, not as suspects.
Separate FBI testing examined the towel wrapped around the rifle and the screwdriver found on the Losi Center roof.
Both samples contained mixtures attributed to two people. Twigs was treated as an assumed contributor because he shared the residence with the accused.
The towel result was reported as 1.7 octillion times more likely if Twigs and the accused were contributors than if Twigs and an unrelated unknown person were contributors. The screwdriver result was reported as 30 quintillion times more likely under the same comparison.
The FBI examiner acknowledged that DNA could not establish who used either item, when the DNA was deposited or what action produced it.
Three latent fingerprints recovered from a glass window near the rooftop landing excluded the accused. Other prints lacked sufficient detail for comparison, and subsequent FBI examinations were inconclusive.
Enhanced surveillance later showed that the rooftop subject did not touch the window when dropping from the roof.
The central evidence presented on the fourth day came from Twigs, who lived with and dated the accused.
Twigs said the accused left their St. George apartment early on September 10 after saying he had a long drive to work. Twigs did not hear from him directly again until 11 p.m.
The message instructed Twigs to stop what he was doing and look beneath the accused’s keyboard.
Twigs found a handwritten note under the keyboard, photographed it and returned it to the desk. The public broadcast did not display the complete note.
The admitted text-message thread began with Twigs asking whether the message was a joke. A response attributed to the accused stated:
“Fuck, I tried to delete that.”
The accused allegedly wrote that he remained in Orem and needed to retrieve his rifle.
“To be honest, I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age,” the message stated. “I am sorry to involve you.”
Twigs responded:
“You weren’t the one who did it right.”
The response attributed to the accused stated:
“I am, I’m sorry.”
The messages continued as the accused allegedly waited near the wooded area and watched police activity.
“I had enough of his hatred,” one message stated. “Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”
When asked how long the attack had been planned, the accused allegedly answered:
“A bit over a week.”
The messages said the rifle had been left in a bush where the accused changed clothing. The accused expressed concern about fingerprints and the weapon’s serial number while repeatedly checking whether officers had found it.
“Only thing I left was the rifle wrapped in a towel,” one message stated.
The accused also allegedly referred to the messages engraved into the ammunition:
“Remember how I was engraving bullets? The fucking messages are mostly a big meme.”
After deciding the rifle could not be safely recovered, the accused allegedly told Twigs he was driving home and instructed him to delete the exchange.
A later message stated:
“I’m going to turn myself in willingly.”
Twigs testified that he saw the accused at the apartment the following day. He asked whether the messages were true.
Twigs said the accused confirmed they were, began crying and said he wished he had not done it. The accused later said he would speak with his parents or turn himself in.
The accused arrived at the Washington County Sheriff’s Office around 9 p.m. on September 11 with his parents and a family friend. Investigators formally arrested him several hours later and transported him to the Utah County jail.
The hearing also included extensive arguments over which evidence could be shown publicly.
The court admitted Twigs’s full recorded interview for its own consideration but withheld substantial portions from public playback. The admitted text messages were broadcast, while the Discord messages and handwritten note were shown only inside the courtroom.
On the final morning, the defense reported that a restricted exhibit had appeared briefly on the livestream the previous day.
The court reviewed the recording and found that the image had appeared for approximately three and a half seconds before the camera operator moved away. The court determined that its order had been violated.
The defense asked the judge to prohibit electronic media coverage from all future proceedings. The court denied that request but barred the media from capturing or broadcasting any exhibits displayed during the remainder of the day.
After the evidence concluded, the court allowed those physically present to watch the enhanced campus-surveillance compilation. The livestream was temporarily switched to audio-only, and still photographs were prohibited.
The enhanced video lasted approximately ten minutes and was not made available to the public through the hearing broadcast.
The prosecution rested after presenting its exhibits. The defense called government forensic witnesses to explain the limitations of the DNA, firearm and toolmark evidence.
The accused did not testify. His attorney told the judge he had been advised of his right to testify and had chosen not to do so.
The court will next hear the parties’ bind-over arguments on September 1 before deciding whether the evidence establishes probable cause for the charges to proceed.
Day 1 preliminary hearing video
Day 2 preliminary hearing video
Day 3 preliminary hearing video
Day 4 preliminary hearing video
Day 5 preliminary hearing video
World
U.S. and Iran Resume Major Strikes as Strait of Hormuz Ceasefire Unravels
The United States and Iran returned to sustained military exchanges this week after another breakdown in the agreements intended to end the war and restore commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. Central Command said American forces struck more than 80 targets inside Iran on Tuesday, July 7. The targets included air-defense systems, command-and-control networks, coastal radar, anti-ship missile capabilities and more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps small boats in and around the strait.
CENTCOM said the operation responded to Iranian attacks against three commercial vessels: the Marshall Islands-flagged Al Rekayyat, the Saudi-flagged Wedyan and the Liberian-flagged Cyprus Prosperity. The command called the attacks a clear violation of the ceasefire and said the strikes were intended to reduce Iran’s ability to interfere with international shipping.
A second wave followed on Wednesday. CENTCOM said American forces struck approximately 90 additional targets, including coastal surveillance equipment, missile and drone storage sites, naval capabilities and military logistics infrastructure along Iran’s coastline.
The two announcements account for approximately 170 targets over two days, making the operation one of the largest American attacks against Iran since the initial phase of Operation Epic Fury.
Iran disputes the American justification. The Iranian Foreign Ministry rejected Qatar’s allegations involving one of the vessels and referred to the maritime incidents as alleged encounters involving “non-compliant vessels.”
On Thursday, Iran said U.S. attacks had struck locations in its southern coastal provinces and two bridges along the railway route to Mashhad. Its Foreign Ministry reported that Iranian naval personnel were killed but did not provide a complete casualty count. CENTCOM’s releases described attacks against coastal military and logistics targets but did not acknowledge striking railway bridges.
The International Maritime Organization confirmed that the maritime crisis remains unresolved. As of July 8, the organization had recorded 52 confirmed incidents connected to the conflict and 14 seafarer deaths since fighting began February 28.
Approximately 20,000 seafarers, port workers and offshore personnel remain affected. A previous evacuation program moved 136 vessels and an estimated 2,900 seafarers before renewed attacks disrupted the operation.
The latest fighting follows several attempts to halt the war. Iran refers to a June 18 Memorandum of Understanding on the Termination of the War. Both governments accuse the other of violating it, and the full document has not been publicly released.
Neither side has formally declared the agreement terminated. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Friday that practical adherence to earlier obligations remained necessary for a successful diplomatic agreement. He accused the United States and Israel of undermining those commitments.
The United States is also increasing financial pressure. On Friday, the Treasury Department sanctioned an Iranian financier and exchange-house network it said moved billions of dollars for sanctioned Iranian banks through shell companies and front businesses.
Iran entered the latest fighting while completing funeral ceremonies for former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Iran’s official leadership website identifies Seyed Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s current Supreme Leader and commander of the armed forces.
The current conflict remains concentrated around Iran’s coastline and the Strait of Hormuz. The United States says its attacks are intended to protect commercial shipping and enforce the ceasefire. Iran calls the strikes unlawful aggression and says it intends to retaliate.
Diplomatic channels remain open, but no new negotiating date or replacement agreement has been announced.
U.S. Central Command — July 7 retaliatory strikes against Iran
U.S. Central Command — July 8 strikes against Iran
International Maritime Organization — Strait of Hormuz conflict update
Iranian Foreign Ministry — Response to maritime allegations
Iranian Foreign Ministry — Statement on U.S. strikes
Iranian Presidency — President Pezeshkian statement
U.S. Treasury — Sanctions against Iranian financial network
Office of the Supreme Leader of Iran
Finance
Markets
Markets were mixed this week. The Dow Jones closed at 52,637, a 263 point loss, right at half a percent.
NASDAQ however gained 1.75%, adding 449 points and closing at 26,281.
The S&P500 added 92 points, closed at 7,575, a gain of 1.25%.
Gold slipped, losing $38 and closing trading at $4113, down nearly 1%.
Sports
F1 Silverstone
Formula 1 was at Silverstone last weekend for the 2026 British Grand Prix. Kimi Antonelli won the sprint race on Saturday July 4 ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris. He looked positioned to extend his championship lead again after qualifying on pole for the main event. He suffered mechanical issues and came home in 8th. Verstappen crashed out with 4 laps to go and the stewards ended the race under a safety car. Leclerc got the win for Ferrari, with George Russel and Lewis Hamilton rounding out the podium. Anyone who tells you it was dramatic or thrilling wasn’t watching. Antonelli’s lead is now just 25 points over his teammate George Russel.
World Cup
The World Cup is down to 6 teams as of Saturday July 11. By the time this video airs, England will have faced Norway and Argentina will have squared off against Switzerland. Those winners will play on July 15 with the winner of that match facing the winner of the France Spain game on July 14. The final is July 19 at 3 PM eastern.
Wimbledon
At Wimbledon, Coco Gauff narrowly missed out on the finals, falling in a tie break in the third set of the semi finals to Karolina Muchova. Muchova faced fellow Czech Linda Noskova in the final, but was ultimately defeated. It’s the first Major win for Noskova who is just 21 years old and currently ranked 9th in the world. On the Men’s side, Sinner took out Djokovic in straight sets to advance to the finals. Novak said afterwards that he hopes to play in one more Wimbledon tournament. Sinner will look to secure back to back Wimbledon titles Sunday, July 12 at 11 am Eastern against Alexander Zverev.
MLB
Finally, in MLB, we are heading into the all star break this week. We won’t see Ohtani or Misiorowski, as Shohei skipped a start and is opting out of the all star game to rest his knee and the Miz is protecting his starting schedule. The Dodgers seem ok though. They sit 13.5 games ahead in the NL West. The Brewers now hold a 7 game advantage over the Cubs in the NL Central, and in the East, the Phillies are within 3 games of the Braves. In the American League, New York sits 4 games behind Tampa, the White Sox are tied with Cleveland in the Central division, with a 3 game lead on the Twins. In the West, 1.5 games separates the Rangers from the Mariners.
Rich Stephens
The Cold Take