Charlie Kirk Shooting Suspect Arrested; Trump Vows To Punish 'Radical Left'
Plus: How 2000s Pop Culture Turned Millennial Women Against Themselves
Good afternoon,
Before we get to today’s headlines, here’s a glimpse of what’s ahead for all of us this weekend in our weekly ‘Cheers to the Freakin’ Weekend’ section:
What We’re Watching:
Mosh and Sam: The 77th Emmy Awards 📺 ~CBS
Jill: My Life with the Walter Boys ~Netflix
Lauren: The History of Sound
What We’re Reading:
Mosh: The Sword of Freedom: Israel, Mossad, and the Secret War by Yossi Cohen (Look out for our interview with the former head of Mossad next week🎧)
Jill: “Adults Say These Generational Parenting Norms Have Been the Hardest To Break” ~Parents
Sam: The Long Walk by Stephen King
Lauren: Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy
What We’re Eating:
Mosh: Café Maud ~Upper East Side
Jill: Cherry tomatoes from her neighbor 🍅
Claire: Coconut Americana from Rhythm Zero ~Brooklyn
Sari: Softside soft serve (last licks of summer!) ~Soho, NYC
Have a great weekend!
Love Mo News? Support our news coverage and join Premium — where we post over the weekend to a private Instagram with the latest headlines and analysis.
🚨 ONE IMPORTANT THING
Charlie Kirk's Shooter Arrested: Utah Gov. Pleads For End To Finger Pointing, Trump Blames 'Radical Left'
The suspect accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk is in custody.
Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old Utah resident, was arrested late Thursday night in connection with Kirk’s fatal shooting.
President Trump first announced the arrest Friday morning during a Fox News appearance. A press conference with Utah and FBI officials followed.
Robinson was taken into custody around 11 p.m. local time Thursday in St. George — about 250 miles from the campus where Kirk was killed — after reportedly confessing to a family member, who called a friend who ultimately contacted police.
POSSIBLE MOTIVE
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) said Friday that Robinson’s family reported he had recently become increasingly political and expressed hatred for Kirk’s views.
Authorities found bullet casings that read: “hey fascist! catch!,” “bella ciao,” and "if you read this, you are gay, LMAO." (Bella Ciao is an Italian anti-fascist resistance song)
His roommate shared Discord messages, where Robinson discussed retrieving and stashing a rifle, changing clothes, and engraving bullet casings.
Surveillance footage from Utah Valley University showed Robinson arriving in a gray Dodge Challenger at 8:29 a.m. on the day of the shooting. When approached Thursday, police said he was wearing clothes matching the footage.
He was not a student at Utah Valley University, where the shooting occurred, but had gone to Utah State University for one semester in 2021. He was recently in an electrical apprenticeship program at Dixie Technical College in St. George.
He does not appear to have a criminal history, and public records show he did not declare a political party when he last registered to vote in July 2021. His registration was marked “inactive,” suggesting he did not vote in the November presidential election — the first since he turned 18.
"History will dictate if this is a turning point for our country. But every single one of us gets to choose right now if this is a turning point for us." — Utah Gov. Spencer Cox
WHERE WE GO FROM HERE
Cox said U.S. politics often feels like “rage is the only option,” but urged Americans to choose a different path — one that embraces differences, welcomes conversation, and stops pointing fingers at the other side.
“Not by pretending differences don’t matter, but by embracing our differences and having those hard conversations,” he said.
Cox also called social media “a cancer,” pointing to viral videos of Kirk’s murder as an example of violent imagery that humans are not wired to process. “I would encourage people to log off, turn off, touch grass, hug a family member, go out and do good in your community,” he added.
Meanwhile, President Trump said Friday "radicals on the left" are more dangerous than far-right extremists.
"The right oftentimes are radical because they don't wanna see crime," Trump said. "The radicals on the left are the problem, and they're vicious and they're horrible and they're politically savvy.”
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🚨 ONE THING WE’RE FOLLOWING
MO NEWS INTERVIEW: How 2000s Pop Culture Turned Millennial Women Against Themselves
For girls growing up in the 2000s, pop culture meant Britney Spears, the Spice Girls, rom-com heroines, Abercrombie, magazines with paparazzi shots, low-cut jeans, and the rise of digital chatrooms.
In her new book Girl on Girl, Atlantic writer Sophie Gilbert reflects on how these cultural touchstones shaped millennial women’s self-image, relationships, and ambitions.
🎧 Gilbert joined producer Sari Soffer Sukenik on the Mo News Podcast — out now for Premium members only (and available for everyone next Friday!). Join Premium to listen now.
FROM THEN TO NOW
Gilbert traces the shift from third-wave feminism to “post-feminism,” a cultural vibe that told women they were already free — so long as they leaned in, bought the right makeup, and weren’t too loud about injustice.
“I became very suspicious of the word ‘empowerment’ or ‘empowering’ when I was researching the book,” Gilbert said, explaining that “it was being used to sell women something that was absolutely not about giving them power” — from wired bras to horror movies.
Similarly, Gilbert argues that the early internet — while promising connection — instead commodified everything.
From Google Images (created so users could search for J.Lo’s plunging Versace dress) to Facebook (which began as a “hot-or-not” ranking site), the platforms reinforced a culture of objectification and comparison.
“That constant voice of self-loathing. I wasn't born with that voice,” Gilbert shared. “It didn't come from me. It was absorbed at some point from the culture around me. And when you realize what you've learned, what you've taken in it becomes easier to unlearn it and to reject it.”
Sophie argues for a more mindful relationship with the media we consume, and considers what it means to raise the next generation with awareness of how culture shapes us all.
🎧 Listen to the full episode by joining Premium today.
⏳ THE SPEED READ
🚨NATION
California lawmakers pass bill to ban ICE agents from wearing masks (POLITICO)
Student shot after mistaken ID mishap with officer during Naval Academy lockdown (NBC)
Potential threats trigger lockdowns at several historically Black colleges and universities across the South (CNN)
ICE agent shoots, kills man in Franklin Park, Illinois, after suspect tries to drive into agents, DHS says (CBS)
Matthew Dowd’s firing from MSNBC begins flood of people facing consequences for their comments on Kirk’s death (AP)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
UN overwhelmingly passes non-binding resolution to establish Palestinian state without Hamas (TIMES OF ISRAEL)
Poland rejects Trump's suggestion that Russia's drone raid "could have been a mistake"(CBS)
Prince Harry makes surprise Ukraine visit to support war wounded (BBC) while United Kingdom imposes 100 new sanctions targeting Russia’s revenues and military supplies (GUARDIAN)
South Africa reopens investigation into activist Steve Biko's death after 48 years (AFRICA NEWS)
📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH
Pfizer and Moderna shares fall after a report that Trump administration health officials plan to link Covid vaccines to the deaths of 25 children (CNBC)
Apple Watch hypertension alerts cleared by FDA for new and old watches (THE VERGE)
Los Angeles County child dies of rare measles complication years after infection (CNN)
U.S. death rate drops to lowest level since 2020 with COVID no longer a top 10 cause (CBS)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Emmys host Nate Bargatze says he'll deduct money from charity donation if acceptance speeches run too long (ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY)
Ego Nwodim departs ‘SNL’ after seven season, while five cast members join (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER)
Festival drops German orchestra over Israeli conductor (DW)
Bad Bunny says ICE raids influenced his decision to skip U.S. tour (NBC)
ICYMI FROM THE 📲
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