Good evening everyone. Today has been an extremely difficult day to report on. I debated whether to even send this update, but as a journalist my duty is to give you the truth — no matter how difficult.
Our nation was shaken today by the devastating school shooting at Evergreen High School and the killing of Charlie Kirk. These events have left us reeling, exposing again the deep fractures and rising violence tearing at the fabric of America.
All day, the internet has been flooded with mudslinging, blame, and hate. But I want to ask something simple of you: instead of feeding the outrage, pause and join me in wishing, praying, demanding an end to gun violence in our nation.
Here’s what you missed:
Colorado High School shooting:
A shooting at Evergreen High School near Denver left four students hospitalized — three in critical condition, including the suspected shooter; a fourth was injured while fleeing.
Police said the suspected shooter, believed to be a student, used a handgun; it’s unclear if the injury was self-inflicted.
Gov. Jared Polis said he was monitoring the situation and emphasized that students must be able to attend school safely.
The Jefferson County teachers union condemned the violence, saying each shooting retraumatizes a community still scarred by Columbine.
All Jefferson County athletics and activities were canceled for the day; federal law enforcement is assisting in the investigation.
Charlie Kirk shooting:
Charlie Kirk, 31, executive director of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed during a campus event at Utah Valley University while speaking on the American Comeback tour; video shows him struck mid-presentation as students fled the sound of gunfire.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said a person of interest is in custody in the killing of Charlie Kirk, calling it a political assassination, though officials gave conflicting accounts on whether the shooter is still at large; one man, George Zinn, was detained but cleared of the attack and charged with obstructing justice.
Political leaders across parties condemned the attack: Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Gavin Newsom, Chuck Schumer, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, JD Vance, Kristi Noem, and others denounced political violence and offered prayers for Kirk’s family.
The White House lowered its flag to half-staff until Sunday at 6 PM.
Other news:
Poland’s PM Donald Tusk warned the country is “closer to military conflict than at any time since WWII” after 19 Russian drone incursions violated its airspace; NATO forces helped shoot down several drones, Poland invoked Article 4 for urgent consultations, and allies including the US and UK pledged support as tensions with Moscow escalated.
Qatar’s prime minister accused Benjamin Netanyahu of “state terror” and said Israeli airstrikes in Doha killed “any hope” for hostages in Gaza, vowing Netanyahu should be brought to justice; Israel defended the strike on Hamas negotiators, drawing condemnation from the US, UK, Russia, China, and regional leaders, while families of Israeli hostages and Qatari officials warned the attack shattered mediation efforts and escalated the Gaza war.
Donna Hughes-Brown, a 58-year-old Irish grandmother and U.S. green card holder who has lived in America since 1977, faces deportation over a $25 bad check from 2015 despite having made restitution; detained by ICE in Kentucky under Trump’s new immigration law, she is being held in isolation, prompting her veteran husband to denounce Trump’s policies and say he “100%” regrets voting for him.
Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison briefly overtook Elon Musk as the world’s richest person after Oracle shares surged 40% on strong earnings, lifting his fortune to $393bn before closing slightly lower; Ellison, a Trump supporter and Musk ally, now rivals Musk at the top of Bloomberg’s billionaires index, with both far ahead of Zuckerberg and Bezos.
Prince Harry met King Charles at Clarence House for their first face-to-face meeting in 19 months, a 54-minute tea during Harry’s UK visit; the king, still undergoing cancer treatment, returned from Balmoral for the meeting as Harry continues engagements including Invictus events, though he remains estranged from his brother William.
Newly leaked 2008 emails show UK ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson urged Jeffrey Epstein to “fight for early release” and reassured him “your friends stay with you and love you” after his conviction for procuring a child for prostitution, intensifying pressure on Mandelson amid revelations of his close ties with Epstein, his involvement in a post-jail business deal, and growing calls from Conservatives, Lib Dems, and even Labour MPs for his resignation — though PM Keir Starmer defended the appointment, saying “full due process” was followed.
Emory University’s new interim president Leah Ward Sears announced the school will dismantle its DEI programs to comply with Donald Trump’s executive order, sparking backlash from the Georgia NAACP, which is weighing protests, while some Black alumni say they support Sears as Emory’s first Black president; critics argue the move is cowardly and undermines Atlanta’s civil rights legacy, while students voice concerns about the impact on campus diversity and inclusion.
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected South Carolina’s emergency request to bar a transgender ninth-grade boy from using the boys’ restrooms at his school, allowing him to do so while litigation continues; the court stressed it was not ruling on the case’s merits, with Justices Thomas, Alito, and Gorsuch dissenting, as the student’s parents argue the state’s restrictions violate the 14th Amendment and Title IX.
Texas A&M University fired English professor Melissa McCoul after a viral video showed a student objecting to her lesson on gender and sexuality, citing Donald Trump’s executive order banning federal funds for “gender ideology”; McCoul denies wrongdoing and is appealing, while the university also removed a dean and department head over approving course content, sparking debates over academic freedom, DEI rollbacks, and reports of LGBTQ books being quietly discarded on campus.
See you in the morning.
— Aaron
To those who have already subscribed to support my reporting — thank you. Independent journalism only survives because of you. If you believe in the importance of truth unshaken by politics or fear, I ask you to consider subscribing today.
Subscribe
