Sean Hannity opens the show discussing the national reaction to Charlie Kirk's tragic death, with insight from Kirk's personal pastors and behind-the-scenes updates on the FBI investigation. Hannity frames the event as a sobering commentary on spiraling political hatred, examining social media threats and potential conspiracies with key guests like Kash Patel and Pam Bondi. He highlights Kirk's unique impact on young conservatives, including his courage to defend faith and traditional values in hostile college environments. Why it matters: Kirk's story reflects the escalating dangers of political demonization and serves as a rallying point for restoring honest debate in America's culture wars.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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We have a lot to get to today.
Obviously a lot about Charlie Kirk.
His pastors actually are going to join us.
One of the one of the most incredible things I spent a lot of time, like I'm sure many of you did this weekend.
I don't spend a lot of time on social media because it's become like cancer.
And I do post on social media, and the last thing I want is access to social media because then it becomes addicting.
You start reading comments, and you have these keyboard warriors in their underwear or naked in their parents' basement anonymously, you know, saying the most vile, vicious, hateful things.
And I don't, if unless I really wake up one day and want to feel horrible about myself, I I avoid it like the plague.
Um I care about what you, my audience here thinks.
I care about what my TV audience thinks.
I do the show for you.
I'm not doing it for them.
And frankly, if I wasn't hated by them as much as I I am at times, then uh I guess I wouldn't be doing my job.
Um we uh will have the latest on the investigation with a top FBI retired uh that actually dug deep.
He was uh the retired assistant director of the FBI overseeing technology and science division uh will update you on what they are looking for.
The FBI is investigating at least seven social media accounts that suggested that Charlie Kirk would be murdered before it happened.
Uh I just saw before as we were coming on the air uh that uh apparently there was a number of cars or several people that were without a state plate seen at at the house of Charlie Kirk's uh Hiller two weeks before the shooting, quote, one neighbor they did not give off a good vibe.
Uh I didn't love, but I think it has to be addressed uh what Dan Bongino had to say.
And that is um get it right here.
Uh that they won't rule out a wider conspiracy in the Charlie Kirk assassination.
The FBI director, Cash Vital Pam Bondi will be on Hannity tonight.
We're gonna get the latest from both of them.
This morning, Cash Patel said the suspected uh assassin in a text exchange claimed that if he had the opportunity to take out Kirk, he would do so.
He also confirmed the DNA that they in fact were able to get a match from the towel that wrapped around the firearm and the screwdriver that are positive positively processed.
Um I have uh every day when I do the show, I have big piles, you know, as Rush used to call them with piles of stuff, but I have I have four different piles in front of me in particular.
One is uh the latest on the investigation, and one is about turning point, and for example, they announced the massive public memorial service for Charlie Kirk at Arizona Football Stadium and speaking with President Trump.
He actually asked me to fly with him and cover this because he wants full coverage of all this.
It's an honor to be able to do it, and I will be flying out there with him.
And um, it's uh and I hope a lot of young people go.
And I have another pile about how what an amazing young man Charlie Kirk was.
And like many of you, I did get I did watch a lot of videos of him, Instagram posts and and things on X and and all sorts of social media posts.
And as much as I knew he was a remarkable young man, I mean, I'm uh all of us in this industry are busy doing our own thing every day.
You don't keep up with everything that they're doing.
I I had a great conversation the last time I was at the White House.
Charlie was there.
We met at the gate when we were going into the White House.
We had a conversation, and I actually had a chance to thank him.
I said, what you were able to do to inspire young people and what you're doing to inspire young people uh was incredible and played a very important role, I think, in the last election.
The president believes that as well.
I know that for a fact, and they said so publicly.
And it led to, you know, an other conversations that I'll I'll keep between us.
And it was uh it was remarkable, and the thing that really stood out as I was looking at at some of the social media, and we'll place them in the course of the program today, is here he would go into these indoctrination centers called universities, these hostile environments, and he'd do open mic and he'd take on any comer, and he'd ask people to show him they're wrong.
You're fascist, you're racist, you're and he'd make they they'd all come out looking stupid.
Well, give me one example.
How many times have we had liberals call this program?
You're you're you're this, you're that.
I'm like, give me one example.
They never can.
And but yet he he dealt with that, but he also did it with a smile on his face and cheer in his heart, and he it played a very effective, it was genius in so many ways, because he was going into that environment, knowing it was hostile,
and giving these kids an opportunity to kind of he was holding up a mirror to them to show them just how ridiculous they sounded and things that they believed that they could never defend or back up.
Then he played one other big part, and there are so many kids that that are on college campuses and they are afraid and they feel alone, and he offered validation for the beliefs that these young people had, and you can't put a price on that.
And somebody of a deep faith will talk to his pastors, his personal pastors are coming on the program today, and I I'm really looking forward to having the chance to interview them.
And they will uh because they know the man Charlie, but he would go into these environments and he would talk about things that you don't hear that often on college campuses.
He's he would openly say he does not drink.
He would openly talk about if you date, date with purpose.
In other words, to find a life mate.
Uh, he talked about how uh, you know, he did he believed in biblical values and and don't have sex before you get married.
I mean, okay, I don't think most kids are gonna hear that unless Charlie Kirk or somebody from Turning Point shows up on their college campus.
Not exactly the most common thought process in hookup culture and drink until you're throwing up in the bushes.
And so that just added to his courage.
Um, Friday night, I want to go back to Friday.
I did not know Charlie's wife Erica, what an amazing woman we learned that she is on Friday night.
And here's her talking about how there is evil in this world, but God is good.
Our world is filled with evil.
But our God, you guys, our God is so good, so incredibly good.
And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good.
For those who are called according to his purpose.
Already I have seen the worldwide outpouring of love for my husband.
I've heard the testimonies from people.
My husband inspired to get married, to start families, to seek out a relationship with God.
It's the most important.
Most important one of all.
And this was the real Charlie Kirk.
And he did it in an impactful way, a brilliant way, a genius way, and he was saying things that kids sadly will often never hear in the course of a school experience.
How many public schools, you know, forbid even the mention of the word God?
It's absolutely ridiculous.
You know, but there are certain facts here that can't be avoided here.
The left, the biggest pile I have in front of me, and I wrote on it, the left's hate.
And it's the by far the thickest pile I have today.
And they have now I've gone through how the left in this country, and that includes the Democratic Party and leading voices in the Democratic Party.
That includes the legacy media mob.
They have spent now over a decade, I say since Donald Trump Melania Trump came down that escalator, you know, calling Donald Trump and people that like and support him, people like Charlie Kirk, fascist.
I have tape of him being called a fascist fascist.
The guy said, and I'll play this later in the program.
So Charlie says, well, give me one example of how I'm a fascist.
Cricket.
No answer.
And he goes, Yeah, I guess I'm not a very good fascist.
If I'm here trying to have a dialogue and discussion and debate with you, and that is not exactly the definition of fascism.
You know, you have these extremist groups that use terror tactics and the names that we have been called.
It had look at look at what was written on the shell casings of this, you know, political assassin.
It is, you know, this nonstop, never-ending.
What was the closing argument in the last political campaign?
Racist, fascist, Nazi, Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini.
And maybe we have become numb to it.
We've got to unnumb ourselves here.
We've got to reverse the Novicane.
They do have a reversal for Novicane.
And we've got to, we've got to call this out because the left has indoctrinated itself into these delusions where if they they think that they believe these lies, you know, what they have been doing is been deflecting blame from their horrendous rhetoric that they have now institutionalized in this country.
And I have example after example that I'm going to share with you in the course of this show today.
And in the age of Trump, they have demonized conservatives and they personally demonize Charlie as a force for fascism that's got to be opposed any means necessary.
You know, if you dare to believe that unvetted illegal immigrants that didn't respect our law's border and sovereignty, then you must be a fascist.
If you want law and order and safety and security and fight back against defundism, no bail laws and reimagine the police with social workers, well, somehow that is a reason to think that you're a fascist or call you whatever other name they want to call you.
Uh it is, or or how dare you celebrate a military parade celebrating the Army's 250th birthday, and the left now sees fascism, Nazism, racism, Hitler everywhere.
And it has a dehumanizing aspect to it.
And for people that constantly hear it over time, especially people that might be prone to mental illness, you know, can be indoctrinated into believing that if they take out a fascist, that they're actually doing the will of God.
It is a very, very, very dangerous thing that's going on here.
Charlie Kirk called the fascist, a misogynist.
Why?
Because he he he believes in traditional marriage.
Most of you listening to this show believe what Charlie believes.
Most of you as parents don't want your kids going to frat parties and throwing up in the bushes.
Most of your you parents out there don't want your kids to be part of hookup culture.
Most of you parents out there want your kids in church and want them to believe, you know, in God, the Father, the Almighty, if you're Christian and Jesus Christ, our Lord, Lord, and Savior.
These are not that controversial things.
It's only controversial because of where he said it and how far We have gotten away from any type of honest, intellectually honest debate.
This attack against conservatives on college campuses has been going on for decades.
We've reported on it for decades.
Go back to Bill Bennett or Ann Coulter.
I'd forbid Anne Coulter used to show up at a college campus.
You know, people would bubble and fizz like Alka Seltzer in water.
And he's been able to build an organization of young people that courageously would challenge the status quo, go into this hostile environment, make these young kids look pretty stupid because they've been indoctrinated into stupid and ultimately, you know, be called names because they had a different point of view, and were giving an open mic to even those people that disagreed with them.
I see the FBI had to arrest two people after incendiary devices were left under a Fox 13 news vehicle.
You know, and the stories that I have today and the examples of hatred from the media, from Democrats, from people on social media.
It is vile, repulsive, outrageous.
It is sick, it has become sadly the norm, and it has a dehumanizing effect, and I believe now is the moment it's got to end.
I don't know if the left where where are the besides John Fetterman.
I haven't seen anyone on the left side.
This has to stop.
Donathan Turley had a really good column about it this weekend.
Um we will talk to the pastors of Charlie Kirk coming up in the course of the program today.
We'll play more of his wife Erica, who is very powerful on Friday night.
We'll play some of the actual hatred and comments made by public figures and much more.
Uh 800 nine four one Sean is a number as we mourn the death of Charlie Kirk.
What an incredible man he was, what an incredibly brave human being he was.
Hey there, I'm Mary Catherine Hamm.
And I'm Carol Markowitz.
We've been in political media for a long time.
Long enough to know that it's gotten, well, a little insane.
That's why we started normally a podcast for people who are over the hysteria and just want clarity.
We talk about the issues that actually matter to the country without panic, without yelling, and with a healthy dose of humor.
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You know, the truth just doesn't matter to the left.
You know, as they called them a fascist, and meanwhile he's has the open mic, and liberals can say whatever they want.
They can call him a misogynist, uh, and all he did at turning point was promote up and coming women.
Uh, one is a friend of mine, Emma Joe Morris, who she once worked on my TV show and broke the Hunter Biden laptop story.
She was promoted, you know, called racist, and yet he sought out and highlighted minorities all the time that worked at Turning Point USA.
You know, but really what he was really called the fascist.
If you really want to break it down, is because of Trump derangement syndrome.
He supported Donald Trump and he shared his political beliefs, falsely smeared, called every name in the book for daring to challenge liberal orthodoxy in this country, and smeared with lies and just outright slander.
Um, let me go back.
I thought this this to me just gets me every time I hear it.
I couldn't believe the poise, the dignity, the grace, the strength of Charlie's wife Erica on Friday night.
Imagine having to explain to a three-year-old little girl where Daddy is, knowing that daddy's never coming home, and he'll never be there.
He's gonna miss the first day of school, he's gonna miss graduation, he's gonna miss you know, all those all those important moments because of an assassin's bullet.
Here's how his wife Erica addressed that issue on Friday.
When I got home last night.
Our daughter just ran into our my arms.
And I talked to her and she said, Mommy, I missed you.
I said, I miss it, too, baby.
She goes, Where's Daddy?
What do you tell a three-year-old?
She's three.
I said, baby.
Daddy loves you so much.
Don't you worry.
He's on a he's on a work trip with Jesus so he can afford your blueberry budget.
And my goodness, am I so humbled to witness Charlie, you alongside Jesus right now.
Doing what you always want to do.
I I mean that just gets any if you have a heart, soul, and a conscience.
And that doesn't get to you.
It makes no sense.
And the left is out there in droves, and they are attacking this family.
That in and of itself is evil.
That means you don't have a conscience, a heart, and a soul.
I I said there's a tipping point moment for me.
And I'll repeat this over and over again.
Because it's unconscionable.
When the president gave a joint session speech and introduced Lake and Riley's family, nursing student out jogging, murdered by an unvetted Biden Harris Mayorcus illegal.
Democrats wouldn't stand for Lake and Riley's family.
They wouldn't clap.
They wouldn't offer support.
Jocelyn Nungarry, the little 12-year-old girl that was brutally murdered and raped again by unvetted Biden Harris Mayorcus illegals.
And they introduced her mother who's been on this program, Alexis.
They wouldn't stand for her either.
This young man that had beaten cancer at the time, my understanding is sadly it came back.
His only dream was to be in law enforcement and he became a Secret Service agent.
Democrats didn't stand then either.
And I said at the time, and I'll repeat, if you didn't stand for those people, those families at that time, This should transcend all politics.
Then you don't have a heart.
You don't have a conscience, and you don't have a soul.
And you people that are spreading all of this this vile putrid hate online.
Listen to Erica Kirk.
And put yourself in somebody else's shoes for a second.
And think about having to explain to a three-year-old that daddy's not coming home.
He's on a work trip with Jesus.
One day these these kids are going to see what happened online one day.
They're going to.
And the things that I've the pile that I have in front of me, I'm tempted not to go through it all, but I'm going to.
Because I think we need to go over it.
You know, we'll play later, Erica, you know, saying, you have no idea what you've unleashed here.
The American people are waking up and they're sick of this.
And this is this is going, we're gonna look back at this assassination, this political assassination of Charlie Kirk as a moment that changed this country in ways that we can't even imagine today.
I believe that with all my heart.
You know, let's let's listen to Terry Will Wilson, BLM activist.
F Charlie Kirk during a vigil in Boise, Idaho.
Listen.
I came out here with free speech.
Y'all came with this.
Hey, hey, 30 40, mother.
Give me the ones, baby.
Shoot the ones with me.
Oh, you're attacking you.
That's Charlie Kirk!
Charlie Kirk!
Come with you!
You're protected, you're dead.
No, I don't believe in these mother What do you guys think of that?
Believe that, no, believe that.
I didn't ask for no help.
I don't ask for no help.
Here's a woman calling for wiping out Charlie Kirk's bloodline.
Listen.
Anybody who is a slight supremacist gets sniped.
I hope all of them get sniped.
I hope more of them get sniped.
I hope they come in, burn their homes down to the ground.
Like, honestly, it could have been worse.
It should have been worse.
Why not just wipe out the whole bloodline?
Wipe it out.
Remove them.
Remove them from play.
Because people are really like upset.
We don't feel empathy.
I'm following in his footsteps.
He told us not to feel empathy and that it wasn't wrong, and all this, this, and that, and this, that, and third.
I agree with him.
I don't have empathy.
He's right.
Empathy makes you, and I definitely do not have empathy for my political enemies and people who go against my human rights.
It's that simple.
You you wanted to play stupid games, you won the stupid prize.
Good luck next time.
A wave of psychologically disturbed, you know, people of businesses now are being fired left and right.
NASDAQ company behind the New York-based stock exchange firing an employee for their posts.
A Massachusetts-based biomedical research center, joint venture with Harvard and MIT fired an employee.
Deeply offensive comments on social media regarding Charlie Kirk.
Remember the law firm Perkins Cooy.
They fired a lawyer who posted a message on social media.
These comments do not reflect the views of our firm.
And I can go on and on and on with specifics.
The media too, News Day.
I'm embarrassed I ever delivered this newspaper as a kid.
They had a quote cartoon that was published.
An empty blood stained chair at a tent marked Charlie Kirk.
Prove me wrong with an arrow pointing to Turning Point USA.
And I don't know if this person has gotten fired.
They've issued a full apology.
And I can keep going.
The Republic, the left wing, I don't even know what to call it.
Just, just...
Shun empathy after Kirk's assassination.
Be callous, short of cruel.
How can you not have empathy when a young mom has to explain to her three-year-old daughter that daddy's not never coming home?
And I thought she did it beautifully.
Yeah, she's she's on a work trip with he's on a work trip with Jesus.
You know, you know, say, I'm I'm sorry his family's suffering.
I wish his message would die with him.
Kamala Harris, oh, political violence has no place in America.
The same woman that said they're not going to stop the rioting in the summer of love.
Thousands uh you had uh dozens dead, thousands of injured cops, billions in property damaged.
They're not gonna stop, they shouldn't stop.
Video shows a man vandalizing Charlie Kirk's memorial outside a turning point, a USA headquarters in Phoenix.
Man was wearing a black t-shirt with an American flag, taken away, thankfully, by police in this particular case.
You know what showed uh Senator Ted Cruz saw a vicious vile message, and he went and painted over it.
He's actually gonna join us tonight.
Well, the latest on the law enforcement aspect of this at the top of the hour.
Also talked to Charlie Kirk's pastors, both of his pastors.
I mean, he was deeply religious, and he shared he shared values.
You don't really hear what Charlie Kirk was teaching too often on a college campus.
But what a great opportunity for kids to realize, you know what?
Maybe I don't have to be the kid throwing up in the bushes doing drugs and part of hookup culture, and maybe, yeah, maybe I want a God in my life.
What a horrible message.
One Harvard law professor, wrongly claiming the suspect was an ultra MAGA in a post.
That came out quite a bit.
I'm not really sure why.
A man arrested and charged with the blatantly trampled the growing memorial for Charlie Kirk.
What is wrong with these people?
Wajahat Ali.
Early Popular, I guess.
I don't know.
I never heard of the person.
Attacking.
I don't.
I won't.
I can't do it.
I just can't even read what he said.
Attacking.
Charlie's widow, Erica.
I can't read it.
I don't want to share that.
Quote left wing Twitch star, Hassan Piker.
I didn't know these people with stars, if I never heard of them.
You know, was set to debate Charlie Kirk later this month, said the murder of the popular conservative influencer signaled a breakdown in social order that has been accelerated by news content.
Violence almost never originates in a vacuum.
He's making excuses like so many others.
Oh well, Charlie Kirk was incendiary.
What he's conservative, believed in God.
Never originates in a vacuum violence.
You know, it seeks to break down our social order.
He just was fostering freedom of speech.
Our capitalist way of life always accumulating, never evening out, leaves more people to deal with these problems on their own.
That produces feelings of isolationism, resentment, material conditions that are worsened.
And considering that our society is swamp, I get somehow you know stitched together by a 24-hour news cycle.
Why are you making excuses for murder?
You know, but also the halls of Congress.
Same predictable people.
You know, squad member of Congresswoman Omar.
But uh what I do know for sure is Charlie Kirk was someone who once said guns save lives after a school shooting.
Well, I've said that.
I want trained, armed, retired military and police to protect our kids at school, and I want metal detectors.
He was willing to downplay the death of George.
I don't remember him downplaying anything.
He was pro-life.
He had many minorities that he lifted up and and partnered with with Turning Point USA.
These are just slanderous lies.
Downplayed slavery.
She's just lying.
Part of the dehumanizing aspect.
There's a fight that erupted at a Charlie Kirk vigil.
You know, this brawl in front of the Idaho State Capitol.
You remember Jamil Hill who worked for ESPN?
Blasting Charlie Kirk as a white supremacist whose influence was dangerous.
I'm tired of white supremacist beliefs.
She would be one of the people that say, give me one example, because there are none.
A school resource police officer removed because of these unacceptable posts.
It's like people working in every aspect.
American Delta Airlines had to fire pilots.
One pilot putting out, sorry, you got shot in your fat effing forehead.
And then people at Delta.
We're getting on planes these people are flying?
Restaurant, major city.
Fallout over...
Comment by, I guess, by the owner or somebody that works there.
Good riddance.
How do you say good riddance to the loss of a human life?
a father of two because you disagree with him.
You know, you have other Democratic representatives, one Democratic representative, Min, David Min.
Now that Charlie Kirk's assassin has been identified as MAGA.
No, he's not MAGA.
And I can keep going.
I'm not even, I'm not even halfway through the pile of hate.
Something radic that is like a cancer in our society that is, you know, the reason that he is seen as a divisive figure and why the left has had a reaction because they've been known, he's been known to make no, they make these charges that are demonstrably false, as we'll prove later.
In his exchanges that have gone viral online.
You're a fascist, Charlie, give me one example.
You're a racist, Charlie.
Give me one example.
And they can never do it.
We've learned how many Americans in positions of authority have been deeply, violently radicalized.
800-941 Sean.
We'll check in with the pastors of Charlie Kirk.
I'm sure they're having a hard time.
I know they love them deeply.
Uh also we'll check in with the latest in the investigation with a top retired FBI official next.
You want smart political talk without the meltdowns?
We got you.
And I'm Carol Markowitz.
And I'm Mary Katherine Hamm.
We've been around the block in media and we're doing things differently.
Normally is about real conversations.
Thoughtful, try to be funny, grounded, and no panic.
We'll keep you informed and entertained without ruining your day.
Join us every Tuesday and Thursday, normally on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.
