It's 5.05 and welcome in to a Monday edition of the Carolina Journal News Hour, News Talk 1110-993 WBT. I'm Nick Craig. Good morning to you. As we continue our coverage on the horrific murder, the public assassination of conservative leader Charlie Kirk on a college campus in Utah throughout the middle parts of last week, he made a huge impact on young folks' lives across the United States, getting a lot of supporters, but also unfortunately getting a lot of detractors. And as we continue to track our coverage this morning, a big break for the FBI and state and local officials out in Utah as a killer is now in custody.
Donna King, the editor-in-chief of CarolinaJournal.com, joins us with details this morning. It was a little sketchy late last week. There was a period of time where a manhunt was ongoing. They had no idea who this individual was.
However, they've got their suspect in custody now. Yes, they do.
So the Utah governor and the head of the FBI, Cash Patel, both made an announcement in a press conference on Friday saying that Tyler Robinson, they believe, was allegedly the shooter for Charlie Kirk, the assassination of Charlie Kirk. And it does bring that manhunt to an end. It was a really emotional press conference. If you had a chance to see it, it's certainly worth going back and listening. The Utah governor stepping out.
And really talking about the impact that Kirk has had on the younger generation and the space, the call for. Just civil political dialogue and discourse in the town square, which is what Charlie Kirk really embraced. And speaking with people, supporters and detractors on a regular basis, putting himself out there, ultimately making him a target for this 22-year-old alleged shooter, Tyler Robinson. It appears officials are saying that his own, you know, that his father, perhaps a minister, was involved in identifying him from some of that footage that we all saw splashed across all national media last week. It is a tragic situation.
Kurt was shot around 12:23 on Wednesday, the 10th, September 10th, and they had him within 48 hours after extensive manhunt by the FBI. Yeah, and some of the interesting things to note, and Donna, we talked about this late last week on the show when you joined us about this discussion of political violence. And a lot of folks maybe rushed to the stage and said, well, we don't know for sure whether this was political violence or not. And obviously, a trial will play out over the coming months and years. But some of the engravings on the bullets from this alleged shooter pretty much indicate, Donna, it's hard to describe it any other way, but a targeted political attack against Charlie Kirk.
It certainly appears that way. The bullets casings were engraved with phrases like, hey, fascists, catch. And if you read this, you're gay, or chow bella. Very odd. It really indicates a serious political bent to this assassination.
And it's something that everyone is talking about. Are we in a period of political martyrdom again? Because that word martyr is being thrown around a lot when we talk about Charlie Kirk in the last few days. He mobilized an entire generation, made them more curious about the Bible, more willing to stand up and speak their mind on campuses where they felt silenced. The movement that he started at such a young age, he started Turning Point USA at 18, 19 years old.
He was just 31 when he was murdered. The movement that he created will far outlive him. And we're seeing that as evidenced on every campus across the country over the weekend and last week, and certainly in the White House. Mm-hmm. The Utah governor has been front and center in this since this situation unfolded on Wednesday.
And as you already noted, encourage our audience to go if they haven't already heard some of his comments from late Friday morning. Donna, he really not only encouraged those young folks that supported Charlie Kirk, but really pled to the nation as to making the claim that we have to decide how we want to handle this going forward. Do we want more bloodshed? Do we want more violence? Or do we want to get back to a time where we can actually have some of these divisive and yes, controversial discussions without bullets flying all over the place?
Absolutely. You know, sometimes these kinds of situations are thrust upon our leaders when they least expect it. And it really shows the character of those that are willing to step up and take that microphone and speak to the community, and in this case, speak to the nation. I had a unique opportunity actually when he was speaking. I happened to be in the green room at PBS in the Triangle getting ready to go on state lines with former Lieutenant Governor Dan Forrest.
He has a personal relationship, working relationship with Governor Cox of Utah, and he really talked about how impressive it was, how his comments were really strong. He was able to really crystallize the way a lot of Americans were feeling in this moment after the assassination of Charlie Kirk. And we also saw it across campuses here in North Carolina. You know, the Turning Point USA chapters across our state in North Carolina's high schools on university campuses have been growing so quickly under Kirk's leadership, but also organically. You have students willing to step up, stand out.
And really speak their mind and talk more about their own values and their own perspective, in many cases, for limited government and strong family units and all of the things that we see in this generation is unique. Those that are between, say, 15 and 25 right now, these are the kids that were most impacted by the heavy hand of government during COVID.
So they have sort of a natural suspicion of big government. They really feel robbed of that time. And I think that Charlie Kirk was really sort of lightning in a bottle. He spoke directly to that generation and said, look, there is another way. Big government and a big brother-type government is not the way it should be.
And he gave them the opportunity to really answer questions, debate, hear from others. And he encouraged those who disagree with him to come out. And if all you've seen is little clips of him on social media, you're really not seeing the whole picture. Because if you really listen hard and take a second to listen to what the things that he said, he was actually. Actually, a very upbeat, positive, happy person, and welcome differences of opinion.
You know, it kind of goes into my next point here. Another story we're tracking this morning over at CarolinaJournal.com. And Don, I think a lot of it comes to the fact that maybe people have only seen very small snippets of him on TikTok, on Instagram, on Facebook, or X. They have got this opinion, this stance on Charlie Kirk, that he was this evil, awful, terrible guy. And we're covering this morning people across the state of North Carolina, especially those maybe in the public school system, that not only have talked about this publicly, but are seemingly cheering on the death.
Of Charlie Kirk, these are educators in children's classrooms, Donna. That's a huge concern for parents across North Carolina. It absolutely is. And you can't escape social media these days. And I think that's what parents are finding out: some teachers are going out there and either saying it in the classroom, in a taxpayer-paid, tuition-paid classroom.
That was happening. There was one part-time teacher at Guilford Tech Community College who used profanity in the classroom to describe him and said that Kirk brought karma on himself. She's since been let go. That happened last week. And that's an indication of real problems.
The parents say that our kids are trapped in a classroom with somebody that has that level of vitriol and violence and that kind of language. They just don't want their kids exposed to it. And in many cases, these are adults who are in that classroom listening to it. And one of them had the presence of mind to record it. And the rest of us could see what happens.
It's also happening in classrooms where kids are minors and they don't really have a chance to speak out and speak their mind. In some cases, it's happening on social media. Media. There was a teacher here in the Wake County area, a teacher at Millbrook High School who posted profanity on his social media and is the chair of the humanities department at that school.
So I don't know what's going to happen in that case, but his posts have been gone private. Parents are calling the school and really objecting to this and saying, look, you know, social media or not, free speech, fine, but you are responsible for professional conduct inside and out of the classroom. And that's something that a lot of parents are talking about today. Yeah, we saw even late last week a member of the Carolina Panthers communications staff fired from their position for posting some of those similar commentaries. Donna, there's been some flash polling on this issue of cheering on political violence.
And some of those numbers that we've got this morning, I can only argue are incredibly concerning when you break them down. They really are. If you go over to yougov.com, they've got some quick polling on all of this. One of the polls was particularly alarming. The question was, is it ever acceptable, acceptable or unacceptable, to be happy About violence against a public figure that you oppose.
And that's what we're talking about here. And in that poll, 77% of Republicans said it is never acceptable to be happy about Political violence against a public figure that you oppose. Among Democrats, 38% said it is never acceptable.
So, you know, that really talks about a difference in the perspective toward public figures that they oppose.
Now, that said, when you talk about violence itself for political gain, the numbers are a little closer. 86% of Republicans said that it is never acceptable to use violence as a means of political gain. And among Democrats, 76%.
So about a 10-point difference. 76% of Democrats said it is never acceptable to use violence for political gain.
So those numbers are a little bit closer, but when it talks about celebrating or posting things about violence against someone, only 38% of Democrats said never and 77% of Republicans. President Donald Trump and other folks have been really calling out and pointing to some of the ratcheting-up pressure and rhetoric that has existed in. Don, it's nothing new. I mean, you can go back to the beginning of the Trump campaign in 2015 and begin to see some of these comments thrown at not only now the president himself, but many of his supporters. I think that's going to be a big issue that we're going to have to track in the coming days, weeks, and months.
Absolutely. I think we're going to be seeing a lot more of that. And, you know, one of the things that came out of this week was, of course, the North Carolina state legislature is going to start cracking down on Charlotte. They wanted to start doing an investigation after the stabbing death on the light rail.
So, you know, these were a weird through line, right, in last week's news. We have the anniversary of 9-11. We had talking about the stabbing in Charlotte, which of course happened a week or two before. And then the assassination of Charlie Kirk. I think that we're going to be hearing more and more of this from the White House as violence, and particularly political violence, becomes a bigger issue.
We are continuing to track all of those stories this morning over on our website, CarolinaJournal.com. We appreciate the time and the insight this morning. Donna King, the editor-in-chief of CarolinaJournal.com, joins us on the Carolina Journal News Hour. At Blinds.com, it's not just about window treatments. It's about you, your style, your space, your way.
Whether you DIY or want the pros to handle it all, you'll have the confidence of knowing it's done right. From free expert design help to our 100% satisfaction guarantee, everything we do is made to fit your life and your windows. Because at blinds.com, the only thing we treat better than windows is you. Visit blinds.com now for up to 45% off-site-wide, plus a professional measure at no cost. Rules and restrictions apply.
It's 23 minutes past the hour. Welcome back to the Carolina Journal News Hour, News Talk 1110, 99.3 WBT, Governor Josh Stein. Plans to push for more federal funding for Hurricane Helene recovery coming up a little bit later on today. The governor sending out a press release late last night that he has a news conference planned in western North Carolina coming up this morning, asking for federal agencies to release already approved funds for Hurricane Helene. That is set to take place at 10 o'clock this morning at the Blue Ridge Conference Hall at Blue Ridge Community College and their technology education and development department.
The governor will be calling on more federal funds to be released. In case you were maybe got buried a little bit in some of the news last week, more money has continued to flow into the state of North Carolina for not only Helene, but Tropical Storm Chantal, which affected the state back in July. Starting with Helene, as we get closer to that one-year anniversary, the United States Department of Homeland Security announced last week that Western. North Carolina had been approved for an additional $12 million in FEMA grant disbursements. That announcement came just a few weeks after the federal government approved an additional $28 million in similar funding.
DHS Secretary Christy Noam announced in a press release last week that the grants are for reimbursement for critical infrastructure repairs to restore essential services and fortify North Carolina against future disasters, including millions of dollars in infrastructure upgrades for portions of the western half of our state. With that, President or Senator rather Ted Budd said, I am grateful to the President for weighing in to fast-track $12 million to reimburse Western North Carolina communities for cleanup and recovery efforts following Helene. I look forward to hearing from Secretary Noam on how we can work together to ensure that Western North Carolina projects quickly received promised federal funds.
So that was an additional $12 million. That brings disbursements of a broader $322 million worth of FEMA commitments to North Carolina. And to this point, North Carolina has received about $161 million since around July 14th to include a variety of projects throughout the western half of the state. That is specifically focusing on Helene, and that does not include the more than $1.4 billion given from HUD Housing and Urban Development for a state-run home improvement program to rebuild or repair homes. That is ongoing right now.
It's called Renew NC's Single Family Housing Program, and they've got more than $800 million that they are going to spend on that. On the flip side, Side, some other natural disasters receiving some federal funding as well. Late last week, President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to announce that $32 million would be given to North Carolina, specifically the more central part of the state, dealing with Tropical Storm Chantal, which affected the state back in July. The President wrote, quote, I am proud to approve nearly thirty two million dollars in assistance for the great state of North Carolina, which I won big all six times, including primaries, in response to their recent flooding events in July. Senator Ted Budd, future Senator Michael Watley, and all of our incredible North Carolina congressional Republicans have asked for this, and I'm happy to do it.
North Carolinians deserve it. I just notified Governor Stein, and I fully expect he will make sure that funds are used to help the state recover quickly. The governor did respond well to that announcement from the president late last week, with the governor writing on X: Great news. I just got off the phone with President Trump, who pledged his support for Tropical Storm Chantal and Hurricane Helene recovery. It's all hands on deck, and I thank him for helping North Carolina rebuild.
I look forward to working with the administration to deliver critical resources to North Carolina. Let's get it done. Again, as I just mentioned, Governor Josh Stein will be in the western half of the state this morning. He'll be at Blue Ridge Community College in their technology and development department around 10 o'clock, where he will be calling on President Donald Trump, FEMA, and I'm sure urging members of our Congressional and Senate delegation to continue to push the federal government to release more funds for Hurricane Helene as we get ever closer to that one-year anniversary of the destruction, the death, and the devastation left in the wake of that storm. That's happening this morning.
We will have coverage of it over on our website throughout the day, CarolinaJournal.com. And of course, we'll have all of the details coming up for you tomorrow morning right here on the Carolina Journal News Hour. Trying to lose weight? It's time to try hers. At forhears.com/slash for you.
You can access affordable doctor-trusted weight loss treatments tailored just for you. These include oral medication kits or compounded GPS. DLP1 injections. Through HERS, pricing for oral medication kits start at just $69 a month for a 10-month plan when paid in full upfront. No hidden fees, no membership fees.
You shouldn't have to go out of your way to feel like yourself. HERS brings expert care straight to you with 100% online access to personalized treatment plans that put your goals first. Reach your weight loss goals with help through HERS. Get started at forhears.com/slash for you to access affordable doctor-trusted weight loss plans. That's forhears.com/slash for you.
F-O-R-H-E-R-S.com/slash for you. Paid for by HIMS and HERS Health. Weight loss by HERS is not available everywhere. Compounded products are not FDA approved or verified for safety, effectiveness, or quality. Prescription required.
Restrictions at forhears.com. Apply.
Okay. It's 536. Welcome back to the Carolina Journal News Hour. News Talk 1110-993WBT. Keeping track of one of our, of course, big-breaking stories last week.
A suspect is now in custody. This is according to details. In a Friday morning press conference, Utah Governor Spencer Cox, alongside FBI Director Cash Patel, announcing that Tyler Robinson is the individual who they believe is responsible for the assassination of Charlie Kirk Wednesday afternoon in Utah. The FBI director laid out a detailed timeline of Wednesday's afternoon events at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, along with details of the ongoing investigation, providing that timeline to the public, noting that Kirk was shot at 12:23 p.m. on Wednesday and noting that FBI agents were quick to arrive to the scene, only 16 minutes between him being shot and FBI agents and chiefs of police from around the state of Utah arriving on scene.
The FBI released the first set of FBI photos of the suspect at 10 a.m. on Thursday, September the 11th. And then shortly thereafter, the FBI announced a public reward of $100,000 around 11 o'clock on Thursday. Patel and FBI Director Dan Bongino arrived on the scene approximately 5.30 p.m. Thursday night.
And fortunately, not long after their arrival, the suspect was taken into custody. That happened around 10 p.m. local time on Thursday. They provided that update Friday morning. About 33 hours lapsed between the shooting and when the individual was taken into custody.
It's a little bit unclear exactly how that came to fruition. At least some of the indication from the Utah governor is that it was a tip from a family friend, some discussion about potentially a preacher and a father also involved. It's not immediately clear, but it was a tip from somebody close to the 22-year-old Tyler Robinson that did turn him into law enforcement officials. This, as you can imagine, Imagine is being treated as an act of political violence. And according to evidence found by investigators, it indicates that it was heavily politically motivated.
Writings on the bullet casings included phrases like, hey, fascist, catch, and as well as things saying, oh, Bela Chow, Bella Chow, which appears to reference a World War II anti-fascist song that was used by the Italians. According to the Utah governor, he said, We are indebted to law enforcement across the state who have worked seamlessly together with local law enforcement, state law enforcement, and our federal partners with the Federal Bureau of Investigations. We are grateful for everyone who came together in such a short amount of time to find this person and bring justice. At the end of Friday's press conference, the Utah governor addressed the nation's path forward in confronting political violence and spoke directly to the many young people who had come to know and Admire Charlie Kirk, Governor Cox said, Political violence is different than any other type of violence for a lot of different reasons. One of the reasons is because the very act that Charlie championed of expression, that freedom of expression, that is enshrined in our founding documents, and having his life taken in that very act makes it more difficult for people to feel that they can share their ideas and that they can speak freely.
The governor went on to say, I think we need more clarity right now. I hear all of the time that words are violence. Words are not violence. Violence is violence. And there is not one person responsible, and there is only one person that is responsible for what happened here.
And that person is now in custody and will be charged soon and will be held accountable. The governor concluded by saying, we can return to hate with hate, and that's the problem with political violence. It metastasizes because you can always point the finger at the other side, and that's the problem. At some point, we have to find an off-ramp or it's going to get much, much worse. But see, there are choices that we can make.
History will dictate if this is a turning point for our country, but every single one of us gets to choose that right now.
Some very encouraging words from Utah Governor Ian Spencer Cox. We've got some additional quotes from him over on our website this morning, CarolinaJournal.com. You can read those in the story headlined, suspect arrested in Charlie Kirk assassination. With that, there has been what can really only be described as a very disturbing amount of social media commentary since late last week, with individuals cheering on the death of Charlie Kirk, and that has brought some teachers in. North Carolina under some major national scrutiny at Guilford Technical Community College.
Part-time instructor Lisa Greenlee was terminated after a video circulated online of her comments while teaching a class in which she called Kirk profane names and described his killing as karma. The college denounced her dismissal in a statement stressing that her views do not reflect Guilford Technical Community College's values and emphasized its commitment to maintaining a respectful campus environment. The community college gave a quote to Fox 8 television saying, quote, her statement regarding the assassination of Charlie Kirk does not support the open and respectful learning and working environment that GTCC provides every day. We want to reiterate that supporting violence is reprehensible and will not be tolerated at the college. Over in Wake County, the chairman of the humanities department at Millbrook High School, an individual by the name of Idress Azazi, came under fire after posting profane remarks on Twitter about Kirk's death.
His account was then, of course, quickly made private, but not before screenshots circulated widely among parents that have their children at Millbrook High School in Wake County. A school employee indicated that the school had received so many calls and complaints about the post that has been circulating around social media. In Gaston County, the Board of Education is investigating the comments of an unnamed school employee who allegedly posted a comment about Kirk's death that district officials called insensitive and inappropriate. Human Resources announced that they are conducting a formal investigation and the administrators have not ruled out disciplinary actions. A Gaston County school official told WBTV late last week, quote, we want to assure families, our families, staff, and the community.
that we are taking this matter seriously. The school system has clear policies regarding employee use of social media, professional conduct, and expectations that personal views expressed by employees are not representative of the school system. These are just three local examples of seemingly hundreds, if not thousands, of these examples taking place throughout the country over the last four or five days. Many major corporations being called out on social media for comments from their employees. As we covered late last week, a member of the Carolina Panthers Communication Department was relieved from his duties after posting despicable comments about the assassination of Charlie Kirk on social media.
So that criticism does continue to run rampant. It is all over social media this morning. And you even had an incredibly disturbing scene yesterday of an individual destroying a Charlie Kirk memorial, running through the flowers, balloons. Candles lit up, but kicking them to the ground, stomping on them before he was tackled by individuals in the crowd, then arrested by law enforcement. It has been really what I can only describe as a pretty disturbing thing to watch after the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
We've got some additional coverage of some of these teachers facing backlash, including some of their commentary over on our website this morning, CarolinaJournal.com. That story's headline: NC teachers face backlash over comments on Kirk's assassination. Again, you can read that at CarolinaJournal.com. The sixth annual WBT Little Heroes Blood Drive continues this week. Headed your way Thursday, September the 18th.
WBT and the One Blood Big Red Bus will be at Watson Insurance in Belmont from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. We'll be broadcasting live and encouraging you to make a life-saving blood donation as the sixth annual WBT Little Heroes Blood Drive continues this Thursday, September the 18th at Watson Insurance in Belmont. Visit wbt.com this morning for location details and to register your appointment. It's now 5:52.
Welcome back to the Carolina Journal News Hour, News Talk 11:10, 993 WBT. Turning our attention to some other statewide news this morning: North Carolina Department of Transportation Secretary Joey Hopkins is set to retire, coming up here in just a couple of weeks on October the 1st, after serving two years in the position and over 30 years in various capacities, including Deputy Chief Engineer, Division Engineer, Deputy Division Engineer, and many other positions within DOT. Governor Josh Stein said in a press release on Friday, quote, Secretary Hopkins has served at the Department of Transportation for more than 30 years and was planning for his retirement until Hurricane Helene struck our state. I asked him to delay his retirement to help steer us through the early phases of recovery and rebuilding. And I'm so grateful that he did as we have reopened 97% of our state-maintained roads.
He is a true public servant, beloved across the state and across the aisle, and I wish him a joyful retirement with his family. The governor also announced the appointment of Navy veteran and current NCDOT Deputy Secretary and General Counsel Daniel Johnson, who will be the new Secretary of DOT. The governor said in a press release, quote, we have much more work ahead to strengthen our infrastructure in western North Carolina, as well as lead our entire state into the future of transportation. With his record of public service, leadership, and expertise in transportation, Daniel Johnson is the right person for the job. I welcome him to the role and look forward to working together to Build a safer, stronger, and better connected North Carolina.
Joey Hopkins became the Secretary of NCDOT in October of 2023 after the retirement of former Secretary Eric Boyt before being named Secretary. Hopkins served as NCDOT's chief operating officer. Stein took his work to develop North Carolina's strategic prioritization process, which helps DOT use existing funding more efficiently as well as efficiently to enhance More effectively, I should say, to enhance the state's infrastructure while supporting economic growth, job creation, and improved quality of life. As mentioned, Joey Hopkins has overseen the reconstruction and repair of numerous roads and bridges after Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina in September of last year. He testified in February at the House Oversight Committee hearing about Helene recovery, and he said, It's something of a scale that we have never seen before and hopefully it will never see again.
He was confirmed to his position in May of 2024 by the General Assembly. Hopkins said in a press release, quote, It has been an honor to serve as Secretary of Transportation, and I'm grateful to all the North Carolinians who have put their trust in our team. Daniel Johnson has been a valuable advisor to me, and I am proud to patch the torch to him. Johnson has served as NCDOT's deputy secretary and general counsel for multiple years now, going back to 2019. Before joining DOT, he worked in a private practice and was an assistant district attorney in Wake County and served as a surface warfare officer with the United States Navy.
Johnson is a Navy and Marine Corps Medal recipient, the highest non-combat decorated award for his heroism. A native of Hickory, North Carolina, he earned his undergraduate and law degrees at the University of North Carolina.
So that is going to be taking place as we flip the calendar over to October here. And in just a couple of weeks, obviously, DOT has been in the spotlight a lot over the last year or so, trying to get all of those roads and bridges, all of the various pieces of infrastructure in Western North Carolina reopened. Plus, DOT, of course, houses DMV, the Division of Motor, or the Department of Motor. Vehicle that has been under some increasing and intense scrutiny as well as long lines have plagued DMV over the last year plus. As we got closer to the real ID deadline, that is going to be a conversation that is going to continue.
We'll watch that as it continues to unfold right here on the Carolina Journal News Hour.
Something to keep eyes and ears on today, Democrat Governor Josh Stein will be in Western North Carolina. He'll be at Blue Ridge Community College and is expected to have a press conference at 10 o'clock this morning in which he is going to urge the federal government, presumably President Trump, FEMA, and other federal agencies to release additional money for Western North Carolina as it relates to Helene relief. We'll have coverage of that. throughout the day over on our website, CarolinaJournal.com. And of course, we'll bring you the latest tomorrow morning right here on the Carolina Journal News Hour.
That's going to do it for a Monday edition. WBT News is next, followed by Good Morning BT. We're back with you tomorrow morning, 5 to 6, right here on News Talk 11.10 and 99.3, WBT. This is the story of the one. As a custodial supervisor at a high school, he knows that during cold and flu season, germs spread fast.
It's why he partners with Granger to stay fully stocked on the products and supplies he needs, from tissues to disinfectants to floor scrubbers. All so that he can help students, staff, and teachers stay healthy and focused. Call 1-800-GRANGER, clickgranger.com, or just stop by. Granger for the ones who get it done.
