Political Violence

Charlie Kirk, who rose from a teenage conservative campus activist to a top podcaster, culture warrior and ally of President Donald Trump, has been shot and killed. The shooting Wednesday occurred during one of his trademark appearances at a college in Utah. His death was announced by Trump in a post on his social media platform. The 31-year-old was a prominent conservative activist who embodied the pugnacious and populist approach to politics under Trump’s Republican Party. In 2012, Kirk launched Turning Point USA to reach out to young conservatives. That organization and its affiliates helped turn out voters to get Trump elected in 2024, focusing on those who felt shut out of politics and rarely cast a ballot.

As Minnesota reels from the murder of one state lawmaker and the shooting of another, Florida could shield from public disclosure the home addresses of legislators, other elected officials and their family members.