News

The Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C. was swarmed by police after a bomb threat was called in.

A DNC spokesperson tells TMZ ... “This afternoon, there was a bomb threat to DNC HQ that was determined to not be credible by the U.S. Capitol Police. Out of an abundance of caution, Capitol Police is conducting an interior sweep of the building. As DNC Chair Ken Martin has said, political violence in every form has no place in our country. We are grateful to the U.S. Capitol Police and DNC building security for responding quickly and professionally.”

The assassination of Charlie Kirk has rocked the country, and it's hit Donald Trump and his family especially hard ... POTUS and the influential activist were close friends.

#47's golf star granddaughter Kai Trump also spent a lot of time with Kirk ... and now she's opening up about the horrific incident.

"I am deeply saddened to hear the news about Charlie Kirk," the 18-year-old said on her Instagram story. "My heart goes out to his wife, Erika, and their two children."

18-year-old Kai also talked about the Trumps' friendship with Kirk.

MSNBC has cut ties with political analyst Matthew Dowd ... following his controversial on-air remarks moments after Charlie Kirk was shot at Utah Valley University, TMZ has confirmed.

ICYMI ... Dowd was asked about "the environment in which a shooting like this happens" -- and he pointed to Kirk, saying, "He’s been one of the most divisive ... who is constantly sort of pushing this sort of hate speech or sort of aimed at certain groups. And I always go back to, hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions."

He went on to say ... "You can’t stop with these sort of awful thoughts you have and then saying these awful words and not expect awful actions to take place. And that’s the unfortunate environment we are in.”

Charlie Kirk was loving every minute of his college campus tour, was in great spirits and never indicated he had any concerns about his personal safety ... according to a friend who talked to the conservative activist the day before he was fatally shot in the neck in Utah.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... Charlie talked to a buddy for about 20 minutes over the phone Tuesday, and during the call Charlie was looking forward to his upcoming Turning Point USA events and speaking opportunities.

We're told Charlie never voiced any concerns about his safety while on the road ... and in extensive conversations with his friend, Kirk had never once spoken about his personal safety, at a public event or anywhere else.

Donald Trump gave an Oval Office address on Wednesday night lamenting the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk ... and warning that anyone involved with the political assassination would be brought to justice.

The president started his addresses by noting Charlie loved the country and was a deeply religious person who had a beautiful family ... before he turned his ire on liberals who he accused of creating violence with hateful rhetoric.

Calling him a "Martyr for Freedom" ... Trump said he lived and died for the values that are the bedrock of America, including free speech and the rule of law.

We want to address something that happened during our TMZ Livestream coverage of the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

As Harvey and Charles were reporting the developments in our newsroom, there were employees in another part of the building watching a car chase.

The people watching that car chase began laughing and clapping in reaction to what they were seeing, but we want to make it clear ... they were not cheering in response to the assassination.

Nevertheless ... watching a car chase at that moment was tone deaf, and the sounds of laughter at that crucial moment were totally out of line.

TMZ has uncovered the chilling dispatch audio from the shooting of Charlie Kirk Wednesday.

Take a listen to the audio -- you can hear responders briefing their counterparts over the radio ... alerting that an individual had been shot at Utah Valley University and the location of the shooter is unknown.

It sounds like another person was injured during the chaos that ensued after shots rang out at the political activist's "American Comeback" Tour with Turning Point USA, and responders confirm officers are following the victim -- Charlie -- to the hospital.

5:15 PM PT -- The person of interest connected to the Charlie Kirk fatal shooting is no longer in custody ... they've been released after talking to law enforcement.

FBI Director Kash Patel just posted on social media, "The subject in custody has been released after an interrogation by law enforcement. Our investigation continues and we will continue to release information in interest of transparency."

A person of interest connected to the Charlie Kirk shooting is in custody ... according officials in Utah.

At the press conference in Utah moments ago, Utah Governor Spencer Cox clarified that they have a person of interest in custody.

Shortly before the press conference, FBI Director Kash Patel posted to social media ... claiming a suspect was in custody.

Charlie Kirk made plenty of friends and enemies over the course of his life in politics, which began when he was just a kid.

The political commentator went from authoring pieces for right-wing media outlets to becoming one of the most prominent conservative commentators out there ... which didn't always bring him positive attention.

We're going to take a look into the background of the media figure and see what led up to the violent events of September 10, 2025.

Kirk was born in Arlington Heights, Illinois, located in the suburbs of Chicago, and he was raised in nearby Prospect Heights.

The commentator's involvement with politics began in his early years, as he volunteered for former Republican senator Mark Kirk when he was in high school.

He went on to write a story for right-wing media outlet Breitbart News alleging teenagers had been indoctrinated with liberal textbooks, according to the New York Times.

Kirk briefly pursued higher education at Harper College, a community college in Palatine, Illinois, but he dropped out without completing his degree.

Kirk's article for Breitbart brought him to the attention of entrepreneur Bill Montgomery, and the pair cofounded Turning Point USA, a nonprofit organization dedicated to popularizing conservative ideologies with high school and college students, in 2012.

The commentator's public profile rose after he began making appearances on college campuses, where he would challenge students to debates centered on hot-button political issues.

Kirk later started a podcast, "The Charlie Kirk Show," and he grew close to several prominent conservative figures over the years, including President and president Donald Trump. He also spoke in favor of Trump during the 2020 and 2024 Republican National Conventions.

He also authored several books over the course of his career, many of which were dedicated to covering the same topics Turning Point USA prioritized.

Kirk was shot while making an appearance at Utah Valley University, located in Orem, Utah, in September 2025.

The commentator was taking part in a Q&A session as part of his "American Comeback" tour when he was suddenly shot in the neck after finishing a statement.

He was subsequently transported to a local hospital, where he was listed as being in critical condition before he died.

1:36 PM PT -- Fox13 Salt Lake City has spoken with an official from the University who said the school has surveillance video of the shooter leaving campus.

1:27 PM PT -- A spokesperson for the University is changing their tune on whether the suspect is in custody. First, the rep said the man was in custody ... now the rep is saying he's not under arrest and has been released.

12:49 PM PT -- Kirk is in critical condition at the hospital, the Associated Press reports, citing a law enforcement official with knowledge.

12:19 PM PT -- Turning Point USA tells TMZ ... "This is an ongoing situation. We can confirm that Charlie Kirk has been shot. He is in the hospital, and we are praying for him at this time."

Charlie Kirk -- the controversial conservative activist -- has apparently been shot.

Kirk was appearing at Utah Valley University Wednesday when a shot rang out. Kirk was addressing a large crowd of students at the time. It appears thousands of students were watching Kirk when the shot rang out.

Kirk was shot in the neck. Just as the shot rang out, you see Kirk clutches his upper chest area. We have seen video of the impact and it is extremely graphic.

Prince Harry has returned to the U.K. -- coming face-to-face with his estranged father, King Charles III, at Clarence House for the first time in over a year... a royal reunion that could signal a turning point.

The Duke of Sussex pulled up to his father’s London home around 5:20 PM on Wednesday in a black SUV... and reports say the two shared a private tea during a 55-minute sit-down.

Harry’s been busy in the U.K. this week -- hitting the WellChild Awards and paying tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at her burial site on the anniversary of her death -- before heading to London for their first face-to-face since Feb '24, when the King revealed his cancer diagnosis.

NASA's latest update is not one small step for man, but one giant leap for mankind that believes in life on Mars ... as there's been a major discovery on Earth's neighbor.

Sean Duffy, the United States Secretary of Transportation and administrator for NASA, held a press conference Wednesday ... where he announced that a rover uncovered the "clearest sign of life" ever found on the 4th rock from the Sun.

As shared in the announcement, the Perseverance rover collected a sample on Mars, which is believed to be evidence of ancient microbial life.

Donald Trump isn’t holding back on the man accused of murdering Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a North Carolina train, he’s demanding the ultimate punishment -- death.

On Wednesday, Trump posted on Truth Social saying there’s no doubt suspected killer Decarlos Dejuan Brown Jr. deserves a speedy trial resulting in the death penalty -- 'cause there’s no excuse for taking the life of Iryna, an innocent woman who came to America seeking peace and safety.

Trump made sure to hammer home "the death penalty" in capital letters, making it loud and clear he’s serious about the consequences Decarlos should face.

President Trump just got heckled at a restaurant near the White House ... and the demonstrators are comparing POTUS to Adolf Hitler.

Ya gotta see this video from a fancy restaurant where Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are dining ... protesters are waving Palestinian flags and chanting.

The protesters are repeating, "Free D.C., free Palestine, Trump is the Hitler of our time."

Police in Texas can apparently turn a suspect into a human punching bag on camera and keep on working like nothing happened ... because that's what's playing out right now in El Paso.

Here's the deal ... officers in El Paso were caught on video beating the living daylights out of a man they arrested over the weekend, prompting a use of force review.

The El Paso Police Department tells TMZ ... no police officers have been placed on administrative leave in connection with this incident.

The feds are going after the man accused of fatally stabbing Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a North Carolina train ... because the suspect has just been charged with a federal crime.

President Trump's Justice Department announced Tuesday the suspect in the fatal Charlotte light rail stabbing, Decarlos Dejuan Brown Jr., is charged with one count of committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system.

Federal prosecutors say the fatal stabbing happened August 22 on the Lynx Blue Line light rail in Charlotte ... and video shows a man in a red hoodie unfolding a knife and stabbing a woman who sat down in front of him.