September 10, 2025 • 30 mins
The John Kobylt Show Hour 1 (09/10) - Kurt Bardella from NewsNation comes on the show with the latest on conservative media personality and activist Charlie Kirk being shot at an event at Utah Valley University. Raydon Dechene, an eyewitness who was at the Charlie Kirk event comes on the show to talk about what she saw. CA Assemblyman Carl DeMaio comes on the show to talk about Charlie Kirk being shot. Pres. Trump announced that Charlie Kirk is dead.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Can't. I am six forty. You're listening to the John
Cobel podcast on the iHeartRadio app. This is just a terrible,
terrible story. Maybe you're just getting in the car and
you haven't heard, but a conservative activist named Charlie Kirk,
very well known in political circles, was shot in the
neck while speaking on stage outdoors at a university in Utah.
(00:28):
He's the head of Turning Point USA, which is the
nation's pre emitted conservative youth activist organization. He's only thirty
one years old, very influential. He's not only an organizer.
I've got thousands and thousands of people organized to get
(00:48):
interested and support conservative Republican causes. He also became a
part of Trump's inner circle as well as an outside advisor,
and he hosts a podcast which is very popular and
in fact, he hosted Gavin Newsom as a guest a
few months ago. You may remember that he was shot
(01:11):
in the deck by somebody from about two hundred yards away. Obviously,
the details are still filtering in minute by minute. According
to the AP, Charlie Kirk is alive, but in critical condition.
And let's talk now to Kurt Bardella. He is a
political contributor for News Nation, the cable TV network. Kurt,
(01:33):
how are you.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Hey, I'm doing okay. How are you doing today?
Speaker 1 (01:37):
I'm all right. You know, there's a lot of video
out on the internet. It's really hideous. It's really difficult
to see. What do you know? I mean, what have
you heard anything?
Speaker 3 (01:52):
You know?
Speaker 2 (01:52):
I think we all are digesting this information in real
time together. And like you, I've seen a number of
the videos that are already on social media showing different
advantage points. Obviously, there's one that has a close up
of the shot that appears to have you know, gone
to the net a lot of bleeding.
Speaker 4 (02:12):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
You know that it's.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Incredibly disturbing to watch. And you know, I think you know,
everyone obviously is uh, you know, mortified and horrified that
this has happened. And you know, I know, as everyone
across the political spectrum from what I have seen, Republican, Democrat,
left right, Uh, you know, is you know, hoping for
the very best, uh, both for Charlie but also his family,
(02:37):
who's you know, living through this net near right now
is a father, you know, two kids, Uh, and it's
just unimaginable to think what they're going through right.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
Now, UH, describe for people who are not familiar what
role Charlie Kirk plays in the whole political media ecosystem.
For conservative voters in the Trump system.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
You know, we have seen, you know, over the last
you know, five or six years, a complete seed change
in how media works, how you know, politically engaged people
absorb political content, and Charlie Kirk has been at the
forefront of that. When you look at the influence that
podcasts have versus cable news, when you look at the
(03:20):
ability to mobilize and activate and particularly in Charlie's case,
reach younger voters consurted Republicans under the age of thirty UH,
investing in the future of the political party. Charlie has
been the most I think effective figure in marshaling and
harnessing that UH and seeing results at the ballot box.
(03:43):
You know, we saw in the last election President Trump
makes significant games across those demographics that that Charlie has
spent you know, the last five or six years investing in,
and so his political impact has been extraordinary. And again
when you think about a someone who's only thirty one
years old, that it is remarkable and an amazing foresight
(04:07):
and incredibly entrepreneurial to build something like that. He started
building this when he was in his twenties. Folks like
it is and here we are now, and he is,
as you well characterized it in you know, one of
the key advisors to the President of the United States.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
How did he do this? Like, what did he do
over the last years? I guess for the last thirteen
years or so to build this media empire and influence empire.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
One of the smartest things that he did was headquartered himself.
Not in Washington, d C. Not in New York or
LA all their respect to LA, which we love, of course,
but in Nashville. And you know, when you think culturally
about the Republican Party, you know, I think a lot
about just the country music industry. And it makes so
(04:55):
much sense that if you want to have that cultural
impact and have the same people who buy a ticket
to see Morgan Wallen or Luke Cohmbes or Jason Alden
also become Republican and activate and participate in the politic process,
go where the people are. Go culturally where some of
these conversations are unfolding. Every day on country radio you
(05:17):
hear the story of blue collar America on the airways
through their songs. And I thought that one of the
most brilliant, strategic and important moments in Charlie Kirk turning
his his you know, one man band into a full
fledged multimillion dollar media company was deciding to go to
(05:37):
Nashville and doing it outside the beltway elite media circles.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
He hosted Gavin newsib on his podcast a few months ago,
which got a tremendous amount of attention, and they actually
had a very civil conversation. And if I remember that,
Charlie Kirk was the one who got Newsome to a
hand that maybe boys playing women's sports was not a
good idea.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
Yeah, And I think that's the thing. Unlike a lot
of folks to play in the media game, Charlie has
not been afraid girl to sit opposite someone who believes
the complete opposite of everything that he espouses and actually have,
as you put it, in a civil conversation about it.
And and that's the country we need to get back
to here. No matter where you sit on the political spectrum,
(06:24):
we've kind of be able to talk about these things
without the without fear of violence, without the threat of violence. Uh,
you know, the bedrock principle of our country, you know,
is you know, opposing viewpoints, having the ability to just
exist in a free society without fear of retribution, without
fear of being in twenty first century terms canceled. And
(06:44):
you know, I thought that having it was good both
for Charlie and good for Governor news From Frankly for
being on that right. I mean, how many Democrats you
think would line up and be willing to sit across
from a Charlie Kirk.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
Not many?
Speaker 1 (06:55):
And so well, they both they both got a lot
of critics. They both got a lot of critics, is
them from their own side from talking to each other,
which is amusing, Which.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Is Bigannas By the way, it's like if we are
at a point now we're to any political party, if
it's disqualifying to sit there and talk about what you believe,
to send what you believe, and we're going to say
that that that's disqualifying.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
Uh, that's not.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
The that's not the version of America that I want
to participate in. I applaud people from different viewpoints who
have the courage and have the respect for the other
side and have to sit down and have that conversation,
because if you're not able to articulate what you believe in,
why we believe it, effectively, artfully, in an honest discourse style,
that then what you believe in is just theater. It's
(07:41):
just clickbait theater. And I'm so uninterested in that conversation.
I think a lot of people that's country are tired
of that from both sides.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Yeah, now you have to wonder is this going to
be is this going to trigger something worse coming along?
Speaker 5 (07:57):
You know?
Speaker 2 (07:57):
And I would tell you any Democrat you know who,
even if you vamently disagree with everything about Charlie Cook
Kirk says, you have to, you know, be heard stead
against this. And for any Republican who wants to see retribution,
I'll tell you are not helping your cause. When you
resort to violence to try to express yourself. You are
(08:19):
anti American, You're un American. You are the best of terrorist. Frankly,
if you are willing to use violence to silence someone
that you disagress politically, in my book, that makes you
domestic terrorist, and anyone who participates and engages in violent
behavior should be treated as such. And the worst thing
you could do for your side for your cause is
to use violence to try to get your way. It
will backfire. It will only serve to motivate that which
(08:43):
you're trying to silence, and it makes your side look well.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
Frankly Kurk, thank you for coming on with us.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
Thank you for having me on.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
Kurt Bargella, he's a political contributor with News Nation, the
TV cable channel, and he's been a strategic communications advisor
and media relations consultant for more than two decades. And
we will be talking to Carl Demiele, the Republican Assemblyman,
right after one thirty. And there's not a whole lot
(09:13):
of detail here. According to the Associated Press, Charlie Kirk
is still alive, but in critical condition, but no other details.
Also will tell you what we know about the alleged
shooter based mostly on photos and videos.
Speaker 4 (09:31):
Right now, you're listening to John Cobelt on demand from
KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
John Cobelt's show, and we're still trying to get more details.
The whole world's trying to get more details on what
happened to Charlie Kirk. He is the conservative activist and
media podcast influencer thirty one years old who has done
an enormous amount of work organizing young people in this
(10:01):
country to get interested in conservative causes, Trump causes. He's
one of Trump's top outside advisors. And he was doing
a presentation at Utah Valley University on stage outdoors and
he was sitting in a chair and somebody shot him
in the neck. It's a horrific video and blood started
(10:25):
pouring out of him. He was taken to the hospital
and still alive, according to the Associated Press, in critical condition.
I'd mentioned right before the commercial break that there was
video and photos of a guy that was a possible suspect.
(10:45):
It turns out that man wasn't involved, was not is
not the suspect he was. He did really fit the
part if you looked at him. He was an older guy, bald, white,
fringe hair on his hands and knees. Apparently he was
yelling something about his rights, so maybe he was misidentified.
(11:12):
So they don't have anyone in custody, and that is
according to Utah Valley University, where the shooting happened. Spokesperson
for Utah Valley University, Ellen Treeener, said Kirk was hit
by a suspect who fired from a building about two
hundred yards away the Lusi Center. And originally they did
(11:34):
take in that older man I just described, not a student,
but now they say that man was not involved in
the shooting. So we'll see. It's very, very difficult in
the early hours of any kind of news story, especially
a shooting, because chaos ensues and people get very emotional,
(11:57):
very excited, people start blurting things to report. There's a
lot of like fake stuff that goes out immediately on
Twitter and everywhere else. Hey, John, Yeah, we actually got
right on Deshaney on she was an eyewitness at the event.
If she want to talk to her, yeah, sure, put
her right on. She's there, Okay, right on, how are you?
Speaker 5 (12:18):
I'm good? Lack things pronounced to Shane.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
Actually to Shane, well, thank you for taking time to
come on here on KF five. Tell me what you
know or what did you see?
Speaker 2 (12:28):
Well?
Speaker 5 (12:29):
I was right up front. I mean but literally the
little walkway for the people that were going to do
that prove me wrong debates walked their walkway was right
in front of me. So I was literally up front.
He was on his second, one second person. Ironically, they
were talking about the recent match shooting with the transgender
(12:50):
and how they're talking about limiting their their access to firearms.
And next thing I know, I hear pop, just one pop.
I see Charlie's head go back and just blood gushing
out of him. I kind of turned my head up
because I felt like it was coming. The shot came
up from behind me, and then we all dropped all
(13:12):
it was just dropped to the ground because we didn't
know if he was going to start peppering us or
the shooter. I can't assume who they were. And then
next thing I hear, they just everybody saying run and
we just took off.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
Yeah, a lot of video of people streaming out of
the venue. You you were outdoors. What kind of venue
was this? Like an amphitheater?
Speaker 5 (13:35):
No, it wasn't really an amphitheater, So it was it
was kind of a smaller little area. There was these
buildings that were kind of together, and there was like
a walkway and there was people up there on the
top of the walkway. The but the people, the security
of the cops moved them off the top because we
would have looked straight down where Charlie was at. And
then then it was kind of like a kind of
(13:59):
like a stadium type of seating was with big rocks.
I mean it was not like like stadium like you
would see at a stadium. I mean it was just
like the way the layout was and uh just kind
of a little hill so it was just kind of
a little groove type thing. That's how I'd explained it.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
I guess what was the purpose of this event, like
what was the theme event or who organized it?
Speaker 5 (14:22):
So it's done by gosh, I'm trying to remember the
name of it. It's it's pretty wrong. And Charlie Kirk
is one of the founding I think he's one of
the founding members of it. It's America. Hold on, I'm
trying to find my picture because it would sell me
better America America Come Back Tour.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
His main organization is Turning Point US.
Speaker 5 (14:43):
A Turning Point yes, thank you. Yeah. So what they
do is they just basically go out and sometimes he's
got people like Riley, like Ridy Gaines and other people
too as well with him, but mostly it's him and
it just were He wants people, mostly college kids for
(15:03):
the most part, that are a little bit more on
the left side leaning side, to come up and you know,
do their point and debate him basically, and I've watched
him forever on YouTube. I love it. I'm a little
more right leaning, but I do enjoy hearing stuff about
the left because it opens my mind of maybe I'm
(15:25):
seeing things a little bit too in in a smaller lens,
and I just need to open that lens. So I
just kind of like having that wide view. So that's
why I went, because I just wanted to see it
live and learn.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
Yeah, what do you do in Utah?
Speaker 5 (15:41):
I actually work in a marketing department.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
At the college.
Speaker 5 (15:47):
No, no, I'm old, I'm old. I don't go to college,
and my kids do.
Speaker 3 (15:54):
But not at that school.
Speaker 1 (15:55):
Okay, so this was an open event here.
Speaker 5 (15:57):
Yeah, it was an open event. You could just sign
up for a ticket and they didn't even check your
tickets when.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
You got there. It's just it was. It was incredibly
shocking to see it on video online after it happened.
I mean, I can't imagine what it was like to
be in the front rows there and witnessed it close.
Speaker 5 (16:16):
Yeah, I mean standing, I mean standing rom onely so yeah, yeah,
yeah it was And he came out and he threw
hats and you know, the biggest test appointment for me,
right then? Is I didn't get a hat? Yeah, and
now I'm thinking that was super trivial.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
Yeah, well, listen, thank you very much for coming on
and telling us your experience. It's so yeah, you're welcome,
all right, and right right on to Shawn I think
is her name? Right? All right? I got CNN report
that what Radon just mentioned. Charlie Kirk was answering a
(16:49):
question about transgender mass shooters in America schools right before
he was shot. Here's the exchange. An audience member says,
do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass
shooters over the last ten years? And Kirk replied too many.
The audience member went on to say the number is five.
(17:11):
And if Kirk knows how many mass shooters have been
in America over the last ten years, counting or not
counting gang violence, he replies. Seconds later, the sound of
a pop is heard and the crowd screams as Kirk
recoils in his seat, well hitting him in the neck.
Carl Deamya is scheduled up next the Republican Assembly. Who
(17:32):
knew Charlie Kirk or knows Charlie Kirk? Charlie is last
Report is still alive and.
Speaker 4 (17:41):
You're listening to John Cobels on demand from KFI six.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
We're on every day from one until four and after
four o'clock John Cobelt's show on demand on the iHeart app.
Charlie Kirk a very influential activist and conservative politics podcaster organizer.
He was shot today while putting on a presentation at
(18:09):
Utah Valley University in Orum, Utah, and he was sitting
on stage. He had a big crowd watching him. And
he has this tour that he goes on where he
takes questions from everybody in the audience. You just walk
up to the towards the stage and you speak into
the microphone. And he has created like his brand is
(18:31):
that he tries to have civilized conversations with everybody, regardless
of your political viewpoints. He was the one who hosted
Gavin Newsom on his podcast you know, some months ago,
and it was while he was answering one of those
questions from an audience member that a shot rang out
and got him in the neck and blood started spurting
everywhere and people screamed and streamed out of the venue.
(18:55):
It was an outdoor amphitheater type setting. He was sitting
on stage in a chair. We're going to talk to
Carl Demayo now, and Carl is a Republican assemblyman from
the San Diego area and knows Charlie Kirk. Carl, welcome.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
And this is just such a terrible, terrible day. It's
the unbelievable, the evil act, the violence. It has to stop,
and you know, this is not the way our democracy
is supposed to work. Our thoughts and prayers are with
Charlie Kirk and his family, and we're hoping for the best.
(19:34):
But let's be clear about this. It's not just some
mentally deranged individual who should be held responsible for this
act of violence. When you have politicians and media outlets
that use inflammatory rhetoric and say that people who are
conservative like Charlie Kirk are quote homophobic or anti trans
(19:57):
simply because they support parent rental rights, or they call
ICE agents racists, saying that ICE agents and police officers
are hunting people, hunting people based on their skin color.
This inflammatory rhetoric is outrageous, it's false, and what it
(20:17):
does is it adds fuel to the fire of mentally
deranged individuals and it makes them feel as though violence
is acceptable. It dehumanizes people who have different points of view.
And you got to understand, Charlie Kirk went to college
campuses because he knew that this is the sort of nonsense,
(20:38):
inflammatory rhetoric, false rhetoric that students are exposed to every day,
one sided points of view and turning point. One of
the elements of its mission is to reach out to
college campuses, and that's what Charlie Kirk was doing today
when he was the victim of violence. He was doing
his job, he was following his past. He wanted to
(21:01):
make sure that college students for both sides, his courage
every event that he did, because he has had threats
against him over the years, and he's been targeted because
of the inflammatory rhetoric used by politicians and media outlets
(21:22):
and the left. And so no, I'm not going to
just sit here and say thoughts and prayers. I will
assign a portion of the blame to those on the
left in office, like Governor Devin Newsom and the legislators
who just this week said that ICE agents were anti
brown and anti black. And this rhetoric has to stop
because it's dangerous, and whether you're a Republican voter or
(21:45):
a Democrat voter or anywhere in between. When you hear
Governor Newsom say crap like that, when you hear your
legislators say that, you need to condemn it, and media
outlets should not be carrying those comments. They should be
condemning those comments.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
Talk about Charlie Kirk, what's he like personally?
Speaker 3 (22:04):
This guy's brilliant. I mean, he built this national organization.
He's got legions of followers. You know, he's passionate about
his work. He's confident and in his points of view,
but he's willing to hear people with different points of view.
He's willing to be questioned on his points of view.
(22:28):
Unlike MSNBC, where you can't get a conservative invited on,
Charlie Kirk always would invite libbles to his events so
that he could answer their questions, that he could dialogue
and that people listening to the dialogue can be more informed.
That's courage, it's tenacity, it's an exceptional talent. And you
(22:51):
know he was out doing what he's best known for,
drawing a crowd and engaging an intelligent conversation in respectful manner.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
He also is uh a top outside advisor to Trump,
and this may have been a message to Trump.
Speaker 6 (23:11):
Uh, and he was I think, well, I think I
think charge. I think Trump already got the message when
he was uh, you know, targeted not one but two
assassination attempts. I mean, I think everyone on the on
the right has.
Speaker 3 (23:25):
A message today, John, everyone has a has a message today.
That that that that.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
That interrupt excuse me, Uh, CNN is reporting that Donald
Trump says Charlie Kirk is dead. Oh my, that is
CNN reporting what Trump has put out.
Speaker 3 (23:49):
Yeah, it's just it's devastating. It is so painful, and
I'm shaking to the core.
Speaker 5 (23:59):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (24:01):
I had many interactions with Charlie Kirk, such an exceptional
human being, a leader, family man, and this is just devastating.
And as an elected official, it really strikes at someone
(24:23):
like me and my colleagues because we're out there in
the public square and what happened to Charlie Kirk today
could happen to any of us for just doing our
job of meeting constituents and answering questions, which is what
we're supposed to do. We're supposed to be available to
the public, but it comes with risks that mentally deranged
people who are spun up by inflammatory political rhetoric in
(24:45):
the media might do evil things. And this is just
such a tragedy. It's not just a tragedy for conservatives.
This is a tragedy for Americans. This is a tragedy,
a low point in our democracy that this is happening.
Speaker 1 (25:02):
Well, thank you for coming on and sharing your thoughts.
I'm really sorry. I know there's a lot of personal
pain for you in this, and I appreciate that you
spend some time with us here and we'll talk again soon.
Speaker 3 (25:19):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (25:19):
John all right, Carl Tomeile, Republican Assemblymen from San Diego.
Kristen Holmes is the CNN senior White House correspondent who's
right now reporting that thea Donald Trump, Charlie Kirk is dead.
That's what Trump is saying, That's what CNN is reporting.
They just flashed this on the screen moments ago. Fox
(25:42):
News is now reporting the same thing that Trump announced,
that Charlie Kirk is dead. We will be back in moments.
Speaker 4 (25:52):
You're listening to John Cobels on demand from KFI AM
six forty.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
I'll read you Donald Trump's post on truth social from
twelve minutes ago. He wrote, the great and even legendary
Charlie Kirk is dead. No one understood or had the
heart of the youth in the United States of America
better than Charlie. He was loved admired by all, especially me.
And now he's no longer with us. Melania and my
(26:18):
sympathies go out to his beautiful wife, Erica and family. Charlie.
We love you. Trump reporting that Charlie Kirk the conservative advocate, activist,
and media personality. He has a popular radio show, He's
got a podcast that gets hundreds of thousands of downloads
every day, and he co founded a conservative political organization
(26:43):
called Turning Point USA. He was the executive director. Did
that when he was eighteen and he was thirty one.
So the last thirteen years he has built this machine recruiting,
energizing young people around the country and get them interested
in conservative causes that Trump promotes. And he's constantly on
(27:10):
speaking tours. And today he was in orum Utah at
Utah Valley University on stage and he sits in this case,
he's sitting in a chair and he takes questions from
the audience. They line up and go to a microphone
up front and he's willing to talk to anybody about
anything political. And his whole idea was, let's have civil conversations, honest,
(27:35):
blood conversations, but civil. And he really went out of
his way to talk to as many left wing people
as possible at these events, as well as everybody else.
And today somebody shot him from the top of a building,
according to reports, I've got a stress here. Almost everything
(27:56):
you hear you got to put an asterisk on it,
because we've done too many of these stories where in
an hour or the next day, the information is entirely different.
So there's there's there's no final version of events at
this point. But they'd say that there was somebody on
the roof of the building of the Loci Center two
(28:17):
hundred yards away and a sniper took him out, shot
in the neck, right in front of the audience. It
was an outdoor ven you an amphitheater like setting and
got him in the neck. Blood was spurting out everywhere.
Trump had heard previously, it seems that it was very
(28:37):
serious and not going well. He had made other comments
kind of preparing everybody for the worst news. And he
had built quite the empire all by himself. He was
a part of Trump's inner circle of outside advisors and
(28:57):
was credited with turning out a lot of young people
to vote for conservative candidates and for Donald Trump. He
launched a campaign in twenty twenty to recruit a million
students for that particular re election campaign. So very well
(29:18):
known in those circles. If you're not in those circles,
maybe you don't know him at all. But it's really
shocking the political and media world, especially have him assassinated
on stage in front of a large crowd. We just
had Karl Demaian, the Republican assemblyman, and news of Kirk's
(29:42):
death came on while we were talking, and Karl knew Kirk,
and he was very, very shaken up. So we are
going to talk. We still have someone coming on right
after the news, all right, Josh Margolin from ABC News.
We'll tell us the latest. And we don't know who
(30:03):
did it. They briefly there was a story that there
was a suspect in custody, turned out to be an
older man that the police had handcuffed and put on
his knees, and everybody thought he did it, although that
just did look right. But that guy is not a
suspect any longer, and there is no further word on
(30:23):
who did this. All Right, more coming up and we
have Debora mark Is live in the CAFI twenty four
hour newsroom. Hey, you've been listening to The John Cobalt
Show podcast. You can always hear the show live on
KFI AM six forty from one to four pm every
Monday through Friday, and of course, anytime on demand on
the iHeartRadio app
Can't. I am six forty. You're listening to the John
Cobel podcast on the iHeartRadio app. This is just a terrible,
terrible story. Maybe you're just getting in the car and
you haven't heard, but a conservative activist named Charlie Kirk,
very well known in political circles, was shot in the
neck while speaking on stage outdoors at a university in Utah.
(00:28):
He's the head of Turning Point USA, which is the
nation's pre emitted conservative youth activist organization. He's only thirty
one years old, very influential. He's not only an organizer.
I've got thousands and thousands of people organized to get
(00:48):
interested and support conservative Republican causes. He also became a
part of Trump's inner circle as well as an outside advisor,
and he hosts a podcast which is very popular and
in fact, he hosted Gavin Newsom as a guest a
few months ago. You may remember that he was shot
(01:11):
in the deck by somebody from about two hundred yards away. Obviously,
the details are still filtering in minute by minute. According
to the AP, Charlie Kirk is alive, but in critical condition.
And let's talk now to Kurt Bardella. He is a
political contributor for News Nation, the cable TV network. Kurt,
(01:33):
how are you.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Hey, I'm doing okay. How are you doing today?
Speaker 1 (01:37):
I'm all right. You know, there's a lot of video
out on the internet. It's really hideous. It's really difficult
to see. What do you know? I mean, what have
you heard anything?
Speaker 3 (01:52):
You know?
Speaker 2 (01:52):
I think we all are digesting this information in real
time together. And like you, I've seen a number of
the videos that are already on social media showing different
advantage points. Obviously, there's one that has a close up
of the shot that appears to have you know, gone
to the net a lot of bleeding.
Speaker 4 (02:12):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
You know that it's.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Incredibly disturbing to watch. And you know, I think you know,
everyone obviously is uh, you know, mortified and horrified that
this has happened. And you know, I know, as everyone
across the political spectrum from what I have seen, Republican, Democrat,
left right, Uh, you know, is you know, hoping for
the very best, uh, both for Charlie but also his family,
(02:37):
who's you know, living through this net near right now
is a father, you know, two kids, Uh, and it's
just unimaginable to think what they're going through right.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
Now, UH, describe for people who are not familiar what
role Charlie Kirk plays in the whole political media ecosystem.
For conservative voters in the Trump system.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
You know, we have seen, you know, over the last
you know, five or six years, a complete seed change
in how media works, how you know, politically engaged people
absorb political content, and Charlie Kirk has been at the
forefront of that. When you look at the influence that
podcasts have versus cable news, when you look at the
(03:20):
ability to mobilize and activate and particularly in Charlie's case,
reach younger voters consurted Republicans under the age of thirty UH,
investing in the future of the political party. Charlie has
been the most I think effective figure in marshaling and
harnessing that UH and seeing results at the ballot box.
(03:43):
You know, we saw in the last election President Trump
makes significant games across those demographics that that Charlie has
spent you know, the last five or six years investing in,
and so his political impact has been extraordinary. And again
when you think about a someone who's only thirty one
years old, that it is remarkable and an amazing foresight
(04:07):
and incredibly entrepreneurial to build something like that. He started
building this when he was in his twenties. Folks like
it is and here we are now, and he is,
as you well characterized it in you know, one of
the key advisors to the President of the United States.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
How did he do this? Like, what did he do
over the last years? I guess for the last thirteen
years or so to build this media empire and influence empire.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
One of the smartest things that he did was headquartered himself.
Not in Washington, d C. Not in New York or
LA all their respect to LA, which we love, of course,
but in Nashville. And you know, when you think culturally
about the Republican Party, you know, I think a lot
about just the country music industry. And it makes so
(04:55):
much sense that if you want to have that cultural
impact and have the same people who buy a ticket
to see Morgan Wallen or Luke Cohmbes or Jason Alden
also become Republican and activate and participate in the politic process,
go where the people are. Go culturally where some of
these conversations are unfolding. Every day on country radio you
(05:17):
hear the story of blue collar America on the airways
through their songs. And I thought that one of the
most brilliant, strategic and important moments in Charlie Kirk turning
his his you know, one man band into a full
fledged multimillion dollar media company was deciding to go to
(05:37):
Nashville and doing it outside the beltway elite media circles.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
He hosted Gavin newsib on his podcast a few months ago,
which got a tremendous amount of attention, and they actually
had a very civil conversation. And if I remember that,
Charlie Kirk was the one who got Newsome to a
hand that maybe boys playing women's sports was not a
good idea.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
Yeah, And I think that's the thing. Unlike a lot
of folks to play in the media game, Charlie has
not been afraid girl to sit opposite someone who believes
the complete opposite of everything that he espouses and actually have,
as you put it, in a civil conversation about it.
And and that's the country we need to get back
to here. No matter where you sit on the political spectrum,
(06:24):
we've kind of be able to talk about these things
without the without fear of violence, without the threat of violence. Uh,
you know, the bedrock principle of our country, you know,
is you know, opposing viewpoints, having the ability to just
exist in a free society without fear of retribution, without
fear of being in twenty first century terms canceled. And
(06:44):
you know, I thought that having it was good both
for Charlie and good for Governor news From Frankly for
being on that right. I mean, how many Democrats you
think would line up and be willing to sit across
from a Charlie Kirk.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
Not many?
Speaker 1 (06:55):
And so well, they both they both got a lot
of critics. They both got a lot of critics, is
them from their own side from talking to each other,
which is amusing, Which.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Is Bigannas By the way, it's like if we are
at a point now we're to any political party, if
it's disqualifying to sit there and talk about what you believe,
to send what you believe, and we're going to say
that that that's disqualifying.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
Uh, that's not.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
The that's not the version of America that I want
to participate in. I applaud people from different viewpoints who
have the courage and have the respect for the other
side and have to sit down and have that conversation,
because if you're not able to articulate what you believe in,
why we believe it, effectively, artfully, in an honest discourse style,
that then what you believe in is just theater. It's
(07:41):
just clickbait theater. And I'm so uninterested in that conversation.
I think a lot of people that's country are tired
of that from both sides.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Yeah, now you have to wonder is this going to
be is this going to trigger something worse coming along?
Speaker 5 (07:57):
You know?
Speaker 2 (07:57):
And I would tell you any Democrat you know who,
even if you vamently disagree with everything about Charlie Cook
Kirk says, you have to, you know, be heard stead
against this. And for any Republican who wants to see retribution,
I'll tell you are not helping your cause. When you
resort to violence to try to express yourself. You are
(08:19):
anti American, You're un American. You are the best of terrorist. Frankly,
if you are willing to use violence to silence someone
that you disagress politically, in my book, that makes you
domestic terrorist, and anyone who participates and engages in violent
behavior should be treated as such. And the worst thing
you could do for your side for your cause is
to use violence to try to get your way. It
will backfire. It will only serve to motivate that which
(08:43):
you're trying to silence, and it makes your side look well.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
Frankly Kurk, thank you for coming on with us.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
Thank you for having me on.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
Kurt Bargella, he's a political contributor with News Nation, the
TV cable channel, and he's been a strategic communications advisor
and media relations consultant for more than two decades. And
we will be talking to Carl Demiele, the Republican Assemblyman,
right after one thirty. And there's not a whole lot
(09:13):
of detail here. According to the Associated Press, Charlie Kirk
is still alive, but in critical condition, but no other details.
Also will tell you what we know about the alleged
shooter based mostly on photos and videos.
Speaker 4 (09:31):
Right now, you're listening to John Cobelt on demand from
KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
John Cobelt's show, and we're still trying to get more details.
The whole world's trying to get more details on what
happened to Charlie Kirk. He is the conservative activist and
media podcast influencer thirty one years old who has done
an enormous amount of work organizing young people in this
(10:01):
country to get interested in conservative causes, Trump causes. He's
one of Trump's top outside advisors. And he was doing
a presentation at Utah Valley University on stage outdoors and
he was sitting in a chair and somebody shot him
in the neck. It's a horrific video and blood started
(10:25):
pouring out of him. He was taken to the hospital
and still alive, according to the Associated Press, in critical condition.
I'd mentioned right before the commercial break that there was
video and photos of a guy that was a possible suspect.
(10:45):
It turns out that man wasn't involved, was not is
not the suspect he was. He did really fit the
part if you looked at him. He was an older guy, bald, white,
fringe hair on his hands and knees. Apparently he was
yelling something about his rights, so maybe he was misidentified.
(11:12):
So they don't have anyone in custody, and that is
according to Utah Valley University, where the shooting happened. Spokesperson
for Utah Valley University, Ellen Treeener, said Kirk was hit
by a suspect who fired from a building about two
hundred yards away the Lusi Center. And originally they did
(11:34):
take in that older man I just described, not a student,
but now they say that man was not involved in
the shooting. So we'll see. It's very, very difficult in
the early hours of any kind of news story, especially
a shooting, because chaos ensues and people get very emotional,
(11:57):
very excited, people start blurting things to report. There's a
lot of like fake stuff that goes out immediately on
Twitter and everywhere else. Hey, John, Yeah, we actually got
right on Deshaney on she was an eyewitness at the event.
If she want to talk to her, yeah, sure, put
her right on. She's there, Okay, right on, how are you?
Speaker 5 (12:18):
I'm good? Lack things pronounced to Shane.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
Actually to Shane, well, thank you for taking time to
come on here on KF five. Tell me what you
know or what did you see?
Speaker 2 (12:28):
Well?
Speaker 5 (12:29):
I was right up front. I mean but literally the
little walkway for the people that were going to do
that prove me wrong debates walked their walkway was right
in front of me. So I was literally up front.
He was on his second, one second person. Ironically, they
were talking about the recent match shooting with the transgender
(12:50):
and how they're talking about limiting their their access to firearms.
And next thing I know, I hear pop, just one pop.
I see Charlie's head go back and just blood gushing
out of him. I kind of turned my head up
because I felt like it was coming. The shot came
up from behind me, and then we all dropped all
(13:12):
it was just dropped to the ground because we didn't
know if he was going to start peppering us or
the shooter. I can't assume who they were. And then
next thing I hear, they just everybody saying run and
we just took off.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
Yeah, a lot of video of people streaming out of
the venue. You you were outdoors. What kind of venue
was this? Like an amphitheater?
Speaker 5 (13:35):
No, it wasn't really an amphitheater, So it was it
was kind of a smaller little area. There was these
buildings that were kind of together, and there was like
a walkway and there was people up there on the
top of the walkway. The but the people, the security
of the cops moved them off the top because we
would have looked straight down where Charlie was at. And
then then it was kind of like a kind of
(13:59):
like a stadium type of seating was with big rocks.
I mean it was not like like stadium like you
would see at a stadium. I mean it was just
like the way the layout was and uh just kind
of a little hill so it was just kind of
a little groove type thing. That's how I'd explained it.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
I guess what was the purpose of this event, like
what was the theme event or who organized it?
Speaker 5 (14:22):
So it's done by gosh, I'm trying to remember the
name of it. It's it's pretty wrong. And Charlie Kirk
is one of the founding I think he's one of
the founding members of it. It's America. Hold on, I'm
trying to find my picture because it would sell me
better America America Come Back Tour.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
His main organization is Turning Point US.
Speaker 5 (14:43):
A Turning Point yes, thank you. Yeah. So what they
do is they just basically go out and sometimes he's
got people like Riley, like Ridy Gaines and other people
too as well with him, but mostly it's him and
it just were He wants people, mostly college kids for
(15:03):
the most part, that are a little bit more on
the left side leaning side, to come up and you know,
do their point and debate him basically, and I've watched
him forever on YouTube. I love it. I'm a little
more right leaning, but I do enjoy hearing stuff about
the left because it opens my mind of maybe I'm
(15:25):
seeing things a little bit too in in a smaller lens,
and I just need to open that lens. So I
just kind of like having that wide view. So that's
why I went, because I just wanted to see it
live and learn.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
Yeah, what do you do in Utah?
Speaker 5 (15:41):
I actually work in a marketing department.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
At the college.
Speaker 5 (15:47):
No, no, I'm old, I'm old. I don't go to college,
and my kids do.
Speaker 3 (15:54):
But not at that school.
Speaker 1 (15:55):
Okay, so this was an open event here.
Speaker 5 (15:57):
Yeah, it was an open event. You could just sign
up for a ticket and they didn't even check your
tickets when.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
You got there. It's just it was. It was incredibly
shocking to see it on video online after it happened.
I mean, I can't imagine what it was like to
be in the front rows there and witnessed it close.
Speaker 5 (16:16):
Yeah, I mean standing, I mean standing rom onely so yeah, yeah,
yeah it was And he came out and he threw
hats and you know, the biggest test appointment for me,
right then? Is I didn't get a hat? Yeah, and
now I'm thinking that was super trivial.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
Yeah, well, listen, thank you very much for coming on
and telling us your experience. It's so yeah, you're welcome,
all right, and right right on to Shawn I think
is her name? Right? All right? I got CNN report
that what Radon just mentioned. Charlie Kirk was answering a
(16:49):
question about transgender mass shooters in America schools right before
he was shot. Here's the exchange. An audience member says,
do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass
shooters over the last ten years? And Kirk replied too many.
The audience member went on to say the number is five.
(17:11):
And if Kirk knows how many mass shooters have been
in America over the last ten years, counting or not
counting gang violence, he replies. Seconds later, the sound of
a pop is heard and the crowd screams as Kirk
recoils in his seat, well hitting him in the neck.
Carl Deamya is scheduled up next the Republican Assembly. Who
(17:32):
knew Charlie Kirk or knows Charlie Kirk? Charlie is last
Report is still alive and.
Speaker 4 (17:41):
You're listening to John Cobels on demand from KFI six.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
We're on every day from one until four and after
four o'clock John Cobelt's show on demand on the iHeart app.
Charlie Kirk a very influential activist and conservative politics podcaster organizer.
He was shot today while putting on a presentation at
(18:09):
Utah Valley University in Orum, Utah, and he was sitting
on stage. He had a big crowd watching him. And
he has this tour that he goes on where he
takes questions from everybody in the audience. You just walk
up to the towards the stage and you speak into
the microphone. And he has created like his brand is
(18:31):
that he tries to have civilized conversations with everybody, regardless
of your political viewpoints. He was the one who hosted
Gavin Newsom on his podcast you know, some months ago,
and it was while he was answering one of those
questions from an audience member that a shot rang out
and got him in the neck and blood started spurting
everywhere and people screamed and streamed out of the venue.
(18:55):
It was an outdoor amphitheater type setting. He was sitting
on stage in a chair. We're going to talk to
Carl Demayo now, and Carl is a Republican assemblyman from
the San Diego area and knows Charlie Kirk. Carl, welcome.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
And this is just such a terrible, terrible day. It's
the unbelievable, the evil act, the violence. It has to stop,
and you know, this is not the way our democracy
is supposed to work. Our thoughts and prayers are with
Charlie Kirk and his family, and we're hoping for the best.
(19:34):
But let's be clear about this. It's not just some
mentally deranged individual who should be held responsible for this
act of violence. When you have politicians and media outlets
that use inflammatory rhetoric and say that people who are
conservative like Charlie Kirk are quote homophobic or anti trans
(19:57):
simply because they support parent rental rights, or they call
ICE agents racists, saying that ICE agents and police officers
are hunting people, hunting people based on their skin color.
This inflammatory rhetoric is outrageous, it's false, and what it
(20:17):
does is it adds fuel to the fire of mentally
deranged individuals and it makes them feel as though violence
is acceptable. It dehumanizes people who have different points of view.
And you got to understand, Charlie Kirk went to college
campuses because he knew that this is the sort of nonsense,
(20:38):
inflammatory rhetoric, false rhetoric that students are exposed to every day,
one sided points of view and turning point. One of
the elements of its mission is to reach out to
college campuses, and that's what Charlie Kirk was doing today
when he was the victim of violence. He was doing
his job, he was following his past. He wanted to
(21:01):
make sure that college students for both sides, his courage
every event that he did, because he has had threats
against him over the years, and he's been targeted because
of the inflammatory rhetoric used by politicians and media outlets
(21:22):
and the left. And so no, I'm not going to
just sit here and say thoughts and prayers. I will
assign a portion of the blame to those on the
left in office, like Governor Devin Newsom and the legislators
who just this week said that ICE agents were anti
brown and anti black. And this rhetoric has to stop
because it's dangerous, and whether you're a Republican voter or
(21:45):
a Democrat voter or anywhere in between. When you hear
Governor Newsom say crap like that, when you hear your
legislators say that, you need to condemn it, and media
outlets should not be carrying those comments. They should be
condemning those comments.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
Talk about Charlie Kirk, what's he like personally?
Speaker 3 (22:04):
This guy's brilliant. I mean, he built this national organization.
He's got legions of followers. You know, he's passionate about
his work. He's confident and in his points of view,
but he's willing to hear people with different points of view.
He's willing to be questioned on his points of view.
(22:28):
Unlike MSNBC, where you can't get a conservative invited on,
Charlie Kirk always would invite libbles to his events so
that he could answer their questions, that he could dialogue
and that people listening to the dialogue can be more informed.
That's courage, it's tenacity, it's an exceptional talent. And you
(22:51):
know he was out doing what he's best known for,
drawing a crowd and engaging an intelligent conversation in respectful manner.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
He also is uh a top outside advisor to Trump,
and this may have been a message to Trump.
Speaker 6 (23:11):
Uh, and he was I think, well, I think I
think charge. I think Trump already got the message when
he was uh, you know, targeted not one but two
assassination attempts. I mean, I think everyone on the on
the right has.
Speaker 3 (23:25):
A message today, John, everyone has a has a message today.
That that that that.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
That interrupt excuse me, Uh, CNN is reporting that Donald
Trump says Charlie Kirk is dead. Oh my, that is
CNN reporting what Trump has put out.
Speaker 3 (23:49):
Yeah, it's just it's devastating. It is so painful, and
I'm shaking to the core.
Speaker 5 (23:59):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (24:01):
I had many interactions with Charlie Kirk, such an exceptional
human being, a leader, family man, and this is just devastating.
And as an elected official, it really strikes at someone
(24:23):
like me and my colleagues because we're out there in
the public square and what happened to Charlie Kirk today
could happen to any of us for just doing our
job of meeting constituents and answering questions, which is what
we're supposed to do. We're supposed to be available to
the public, but it comes with risks that mentally deranged
people who are spun up by inflammatory political rhetoric in
(24:45):
the media might do evil things. And this is just
such a tragedy. It's not just a tragedy for conservatives.
This is a tragedy for Americans. This is a tragedy,
a low point in our democracy that this is happening.
Speaker 1 (25:02):
Well, thank you for coming on and sharing your thoughts.
I'm really sorry. I know there's a lot of personal
pain for you in this, and I appreciate that you
spend some time with us here and we'll talk again soon.
Speaker 3 (25:19):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (25:19):
John all right, Carl Tomeile, Republican Assemblymen from San Diego.
Kristen Holmes is the CNN senior White House correspondent who's
right now reporting that thea Donald Trump, Charlie Kirk is dead.
That's what Trump is saying, That's what CNN is reporting.
They just flashed this on the screen moments ago. Fox
(25:42):
News is now reporting the same thing that Trump announced,
that Charlie Kirk is dead. We will be back in moments.
Speaker 4 (25:52):
You're listening to John Cobels on demand from KFI AM
six forty.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
I'll read you Donald Trump's post on truth social from
twelve minutes ago. He wrote, the great and even legendary
Charlie Kirk is dead. No one understood or had the
heart of the youth in the United States of America
better than Charlie. He was loved admired by all, especially me.
And now he's no longer with us. Melania and my
(26:18):
sympathies go out to his beautiful wife, Erica and family. Charlie.
We love you. Trump reporting that Charlie Kirk the conservative advocate, activist,
and media personality. He has a popular radio show, He's
got a podcast that gets hundreds of thousands of downloads
every day, and he co founded a conservative political organization
(26:43):
called Turning Point USA. He was the executive director. Did
that when he was eighteen and he was thirty one.
So the last thirteen years he has built this machine recruiting,
energizing young people around the country and get them interested
in conservative causes that Trump promotes. And he's constantly on
(27:10):
speaking tours. And today he was in orum Utah at
Utah Valley University on stage and he sits in this case,
he's sitting in a chair and he takes questions from
the audience. They line up and go to a microphone
up front and he's willing to talk to anybody about
anything political. And his whole idea was, let's have civil conversations, honest,
(27:35):
blood conversations, but civil. And he really went out of
his way to talk to as many left wing people
as possible at these events, as well as everybody else.
And today somebody shot him from the top of a building,
according to reports, I've got a stress here. Almost everything
(27:56):
you hear you got to put an asterisk on it,
because we've done too many of these stories where in
an hour or the next day, the information is entirely different.
So there's there's there's no final version of events at
this point. But they'd say that there was somebody on
the roof of the building of the Loci Center two
(28:17):
hundred yards away and a sniper took him out, shot
in the neck, right in front of the audience. It
was an outdoor ven you an amphitheater like setting and
got him in the neck. Blood was spurting out everywhere.
Trump had heard previously, it seems that it was very
(28:37):
serious and not going well. He had made other comments
kind of preparing everybody for the worst news. And he
had built quite the empire all by himself. He was
a part of Trump's inner circle of outside advisors and
(28:57):
was credited with turning out a lot of young people
to vote for conservative candidates and for Donald Trump. He
launched a campaign in twenty twenty to recruit a million
students for that particular re election campaign. So very well
(29:18):
known in those circles. If you're not in those circles,
maybe you don't know him at all. But it's really
shocking the political and media world, especially have him assassinated
on stage in front of a large crowd. We just
had Karl Demaian, the Republican assemblyman, and news of Kirk's
(29:42):
death came on while we were talking, and Karl knew Kirk,
and he was very, very shaken up. So we are
going to talk. We still have someone coming on right
after the news, all right, Josh Margolin from ABC News.
We'll tell us the latest. And we don't know who
(30:03):
did it. They briefly there was a story that there
was a suspect in custody, turned out to be an
older man that the police had handcuffed and put on
his knees, and everybody thought he did it, although that
just did look right. But that guy is not a
suspect any longer, and there is no further word on
(30:23):
who did this. All Right, more coming up and we
have Debora mark Is live in the CAFI twenty four
hour newsroom. Hey, you've been listening to The John Cobalt
Show podcast. You can always hear the show live on
KFI AM six forty from one to four pm every
Monday through Friday, and of course, anytime on demand on
the iHeartRadio app
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