What Analysis Of Charlie Kirk Bullet and Tyler Robinson’s Gun Really Found
Plus: Gas hits $4 A Gallon In U.S. as Iran War hits one-month mark, and why vinyl is going mainstream
Good evening,
Girl, put your records on. 🎶
Vinyl record sales in the U.S. rose nearly 10% in 2025, surpassing $1 billion, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. Industry forecasts say sales could top $1 billion again in 2026.
NOT JUST FOR HIPSTERS — Vinyl sales rose for the 19th straight year, selling about 48 million units in 2025, according to the RIAA. In contrast, revenue for CDs and digital downloads decreased by 7.8% and 8%, respectively.
SWIFT DEMAND — Taylor Swift has played a large role in vinyl’s comeback. Her Life Of A Showgirl album, released last October, sold 1.6 million vinyl copies in the U.S. last year, and it accounts for 3% of all vinyl copies sold in 2025 overall. Swift has been the top-selling artist on vinyl for four years in a row.
THE COOL KIDS — Younger listeners are also partially behind vinyl's comeback, with millennials seeing the largest increase in vinyl purchases over the past year. In addition, over half (59%) of 18-24 year olds are listening to physical music such as vinyl, cassettes, and CDs — more than any other age group, according to research by Key Production.
Vinyl still only accounts for a small slice of how people are listening to music. Streaming remains the dominant driver of revenue in the music industry, accounting for about $9.5 billion of the $11.5 billion in overall recorded revenue in 2025.
Sam,
Associate Produce
🚨 ONE IMPORTANT THING
U.S. Gas Prices Hits $4 A Gallon
Average gas prices in the U.S. rose Tuesday to over $4 a gallon for the first time since 2022. It comes just over a month into Iran war, and is the largest monthly jump AAA has ever seen.
AAA said the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is now $4.02. It was less than $3 a gallon about a month ago, prior to the war.
Prices vary between states because of factors ranging from nearby supply to differing tax rates.
Gas hit an average of $5.87 a gallon in California Tuesday. On the other end of the spectrum, prices are averaging about $3.28 in Kansas and Oklahoma.
Rewind: U.S. national average gas prices last reached a peak of $5.02 a gallon in June 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine.
A recent AP-NORC poll found that nearly half (45%) of U.S. adults are “extremely” or “very” concerned about being able to afford gas in the upcoming months.
BEHIND THE BUILDUP
The price of crude oil, the biggest component in gasoline, continues to rise as the Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed. About 20 percent of the world’s oil and natural gas flows through the strait, but that traffic has pretty much been at a standstill because of potential Iranian drone and missile attacks.
The U.S. doesn’t rely on oil from the Strait of Hormuz, but oil is traded on a global market, and by the law of supply and demand, global supply is down, so overall prices are going up.
President Trump has been urging countries like the U.K., which DO rely on the Strait for their oil, to help secure the waterway.
“Build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT. You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
Trump told CBS on Tuesday that he is not ready "quite yet" to abandon efforts to force Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to all shipping traffic.
Iranian, U.S., and Israeli strikes have also struck energy infrastructure, contributing to rising costs. Iran struck a fully loaded Kuwaiti oil tanker off the coast of Dubai on Tuesday, setting it on fire.
WAR PROGRESS
The U.S. military’s “firepower is only increasing,” while Iran’s is “decreasing,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday during a press briefing.
“The last 24 hours saw the lowest number of enemy missiles and drones fired by Iran,” Hegseth said. He noted that American strikes have hit command centers and pressured Iranian military leaders into abandoning their posts.
WHAT ABOUT BOOTS ON THE GROUND?
During the briefing, Hegseth said he would not rule out the possibility of sending U.S. ground troops to Iran.
Hegseth said issuing a definitive yes or no answer to questions about ground troops would be a strategic mistake.
“We’re not going to foreclose any option,” Hegseth said. “You can’t fight and win a war if you tell your adversary what you are willing to do or what you are not willing to do, to include boots on the ground.”
WHY IT’S STILL POSSIBLE: President Trump said in an interview with the Financial Times Sunday that he is considering seizing Iran’s oil, including the key export hub at Kharg Island, which could require U.S. boots on the ground.
The president noted that “it would also mean we had to be there [in Kharg Island] for a while,” if he chooses that option.
THE ENRICHED URANIUM: Trump is also said to be considering a U.S. military operation to remove 1,000 pounds of uranium (some of it close to weapons-grade) from Iran that would take “days or longer,” U.S. officials told the Wall Street Journal.
This would be an extremely complex mission would likely put American forces inside Iran for days or longer, according to military experts
🚨 ONE THING WE’RE INVESTIGATING
Analysis Of Bullet That Killed Charlie Kirk Shows No Conclusive Link To Suspect’s Gun. What Does That Mean?
An initial ATF analysis of fragments of a bullet that killed Charlie Kirk could not conclusively connect it to the rifle found on the scene that was tied to alleged assassin Tyler Robinson. However, that is not the same as saying the bullet doesn't match the gun. Mosheh explains above. ⬆️
ARGUMENTS, DELAYED
Robinson's defense team asked in recent court filings for a delay to preliminary hearings scheduled for April and May. The team argued they need time to review the bullet analysis, as well as footage from the scene and tens of thousands of pages of other evidence.
The FBI is running additional tests on the lead the bullet was made of and a second, comparative bullet.
A COMPLICATED SCIENCEThe accuracy of bullet forensics depends on the size and condition of the bullet fragments, as each gun leaves a microscopic, unique mark on a bullet, similar to a fingerprint. Law enforcement sometimes can only retrieve a small fragment of a bullet in poor condition, so the data may not be able to be traced to any gun, even with additional tests.
Utah County Attorney’s Office spokesman Christopher Ballard said he can’t comment on forensic testing and results — but he said “when the results of a bullet fragment analysis come back as inconclusive, that means only that the fragment did not contain enough detail for the examiner to determine whether the characteristics on the fragment were consistent with having been fired by a particular firearm.”
ONLY ONE PART OF THE CASE
Separately, prosecutors say they have a wealth of evidence tying Robinson and his DNA to the crime scene and gun.
Investigators have already tied Robinson's DNA to a towel that was wrapped around the rifle and a screwdriver from the roof where the shot was fired.
Robinson allegedly confessed to his family just before his arrest.
Robinson also confessed to his transgender roommate and possible partner, according to charging documents released by Utah County officials in September.
“Some hate can’t be negotiated out,” Robinson allegedly wrote. Kirk was critical of transgenderism, calling it a “mental delusion.”
Kirk, a popular right-wing commentator, was fatally shot in the neck while speaking at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University last September.
Robinson, 22, faces the death penalty if he is convicted. He has not yet entered a plea.
⏳ THE SPEED READ
🚨NATION
Supreme court rules 8-1 against Colorado ban on conversion therapy (MO NEWS)
JD Vance has new book coming out on religious faith, conversion to Catholicism (THE HILL)
Fired FBI agents sue Patel, Bondi for ‘retribution campaign’ (POLITICO)
Judge rules Trump’s directive cutting off funding for NPR and PBS violates the First Amendment (CBS)
LA marks first Farmworkers Day after renaming holiday from Cesar Chavez Day (ABC)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
US journalist kidnapped in Baghdad and security forces hunt captors, Iraqi officials say (AP)
Sexual violence part of ‘everyday life’ in parts of Sudan, charity says (BBC)
Germany’s Merz criticized after calling for Syrians in Germany to ‘go back’ home (GUARDIAN)
Ukraine strikes Russia’s lifeblood by targeting oil ports (LE MONDE)
📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH
Women now outnumber men in the U.S. workforce (MO NEWS)
Trump officials exempt oil and gas drilling in the Gulf from endangered species rules (AP)
McCormick buys Unilever’s food business in deal that values it at nearly $45 billion (CNBC)
Chick-fil-A offers free ice cream if families ditch phones at the table in push to unplug (FOX)
New ‘cicada’ COVID variant detected in more than 20 states, CDC warns (WUSA)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Project Hail Mary officially breaks all-time box office record for Amazon in just two weeks (SCREEN RANT)
Céline Dion announces return to stage with upcoming Paris concerts (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER)
Tallest college basketball player ever, standing at 7-foot-9, entering transfer portal (FOX)
Eurovision Song Contest launches first-ever Asia edition (BBC)
ICYMI FROM THE 📲
In case you missed it… A video of an animatronic Olaf in Disneyland Paris losing power and falling over has gone viral.
Commenters noted how robot Olaf falls similarly to how his character moves in the Frozen films, down to his carrot nose flying off. ⛄️🥕