Tyler Robinson appears in virtual court appearance
Tyler Robinson is now appearing for his first, virtual court appearance from the Utah jail where he is being held.
A Utah judge has ruled Robinson indigent, saying he qualifies for a court-appointed attorney.
The judge has also granted a pre-trial protective order for Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk.
A Utah state prosecutor has also shared that the state intends to pursue the death penalty.
Key events
Summary
Closing summary
Our live coverage is ending now. In the meantime, you can find all of our live US politics coverage here. Here is a summary of the key developments from today:
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Utah county attorney Jeff Gray formally announced charges against Tyler Robinson, the suspect accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk. Prosecutors have charged Robinson on seven counts, including aggravated murder, and will seek the death penalty. Later, Robinson made his first court appearance at a virtual hearing, wearing an anti-suicide smock, where Utah judge Tony F. Graf ruled Robinson qualifies for a court-appointed attorney and granted a pre-trial protective order for Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk. The next hearing in Robinson’s case is scheduled for September 29, and will be conducted virtually.
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FBI director Kash Patel faced questions from the Senate judiciary committee during a more than four hour long hearing. The hearing twice included a shouting match between Patel and Democratic senator Cory Booker and later Adam Schiff. Patel defended his leadership of the FBI, denying that he has politicized the agency and ordered firings of agents and personnel over their work on cases related to Donald Trump or the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. Patel also defended his actions over prematurely posting on social media that the suspect in Charlie Kirk’s killing had been found, only for that person to be released. Democratic senator Dick Durbin and others said Patel’s actions pointed to his lack of experience and “sparked mass confusion” during the investigation.
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The Trump administration will appeal the court decision blocking Donald Trump’s bid to fire Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook. Yesterday, a US appeals court declined to allow Trump to fire Cook, in the latest step in a legal battle that threatens the Fed’s longstanding independence.
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Trump arrived in the United Kingdom where he will make an uprecedented second state visit.
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Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Trump has invited him back to the White House on September 29. The trip will be the fourth time Netanyahu, a vocal support of Trump’s, has visited the White House since Trump’s second term began in January.
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Trump filed a $15b defamation lawsuit against the New York Times and publishing firm Penguin Random House today. The lawsuit is one of a string the president has filed against media outlets, including a $10b defamation case he filed against the Wall Street Journal in July.
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California governor Gavin Newsom joined a host of Democratic influencers and officials for a virtual rally in support of Proposition 50, also known as the Election Rigging Response Act. The act seeks to redraw California’s political map, in response to efforts by politicians in Republican-led states to do the same.
The Justice Department has sued the states of Oregon and Maine for declining to turn over voter registration lists to the federal government. The department is seeking voter registration rolls from at least 26 states, according to the Associated Press.
On June 8, as protesters demonstrated against the Trump administration’s immigration policies and deployment of the national guard, Los Angeles police officers fired more than 1,000 projectiles at the crowds, the Associated Press reports, citing a state-mandated report the police department released Monday.
According to the report, 584 police officers were dispatched to protests that day, where they fired 1,040 projectiles, including bean bags, rubber and foam rounds, and tear gas. Six injuries were reported as a result of the projectiles.
With Donald Trump recently arrived in the United Kingdom, for an unprecedented second state visit, London’s mayor Sadiq Khan is sharing his thoughts on the president’s visit with The Guardian.
In an opinion piece titled, “After the far right’s march on our streets, Londoners must show Trump we reject his politics of fear,” Khan writes:
Something in our country changed at the weekend. Like cities across the UK, London has seen protests organised by the far right before, but this felt different. Over 100,000 people filled the capital. Tens of thousands of them marched peacefully. But some violently attacked the police officers tasked with keeping Londoners safe. Elon Musk tried to rally protesters against our democracy, telling them to “fight back or you die”.
The scenes we saw didn’t come from nowhere. For far too long, our politicians and pundits have refused to condemn the rising tide of hatred in this country, instead choosing to dabble in dog-whistle politics and dangerous rhetoric themselves.
University of California students and faculty sued the Trump administration today, alleging that the federal government is using civil rights law to stem academic freedom and free speech.
The lawsuit comes amid ongoing negotiations between the University of California Los Angeles and the Trump administration over allegations of antisemitism on campus and cuts to university funding.
The lawsuit was filed by Democracy Forward on behalf of a coalition of faculty, staff, student organizations and every labor union representing UC workers.
Here’s more on the story:
Senator Elizabeth Warren has joined the Yes on 50 rally.
The Massachusetts Democrat is emphasizing the importance of checks and balances, and preserving independent bodies, including the Federal Reserve Board.
“The problem is the Republicans just try to outdo each other in how fast they fall to the floor to kiss Donald Trump’s feet. And the consequence of that is the whole basic structure of government now is breaking apart,” she said.
“That’s why I see Prop 50 as a fight for the independence of our democracy. A fight to say there’s a check on power,” she added.
Gavin Newsom says that California’s efforts to redistrict are justified in this moment of American history.
“We could see this democracy slip through our fingers,” said Newsom. “Or we could recognize the moment we’re in.”
The governor’s statement came in response to a question about whether Democrats should employ a redistricting strategy that they’ve long criticized Republicans for.
“This is code red. We all need to wake up to what’s going on.”
California governor Gavin Newsom has acknowledged the death of far-right political activist Charlie Kirk at the opening of the “Yes on 50” virtual rally.
“Charlie Kirk was my first guest,” Newsom said, speaking about his own podcast. He acknowledged that Kirk “flew out to do it in person” and praised Kirk’s “civility”.
California governor Gavin Newsom will join a host of Democratic influencers and officials for a virtual rally in support of Proposition 50, also known as the Election Rigging Response Act, shortly.
Confirmed speakers include Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren, Maryland representative Jamie Raskin, Texas representative Jasmine Crockett, Florida representative Maxwell Frost, podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen, activist Olivia Julianna, former Texas representative Beto O’Rourke and podcasters Tommy Vietor and Jon Favreau.
We’ll bring you the highlights when that begins. In the meantime, here’s more on California’s efforts to redraw its political maps, in response to Texas’s move to do the same, from my colleague Lauren Gambino:
Donald Trump filed a $15b defamation lawsuit against the New York Times and publishing firm Penguin Random House today. The president claims that two New York Times reporters published three articles in the paper and one book with the publisher intended to sabotage his 2024 presidential campaign, Reuters reports. The book is titled “Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success.”
In statements to Reuters, the Times and Penguin Random House said the president’s lawsuit makes no legitimate legal claims.
The lawsuit is one of a string the president has filed against media outlets, including a $10b defamation case he filed against the Wall Street Journal in July.
In a post about the lawsuit on his social media platform, “The Radical Left Media is working hard to destroy the U.S.A. We are going to stop them at each and every level!!!”
Social Security beneficiaries’ private information has not been compromised, according to a letter the agency’s commissioner Frank Bisignano sent to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo.
“I can confirm, based on the agency’s thorough review, that neither the Numident database nor any of its data has been accessed, leaked, hacked, or shared in any unauthorized fashion,” Bisignano wrote.
Last month, an agency whistleblower said that the personal data of more than 300 million Americans had been compromised after the Department of Government Efficiency accessed the Social Security Administration’s data. The whistleblower, Charles Borges, resigned after filing the complaint.
Donald Trump signed an executive order extending a deadline for the social media app TikTok to find a non-Chinese buyer today. This is the fourth such time that the president has extended a deadline for the company.
Earlier today, Treasury secretary Scott Bessent said he anticipated a final deal on TikTok when Trump speaks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Friday.
