Today's Issues continues on AFR with Steve Paisley
>> Ed Vitagliano: Today's Issues continues on AFR with your host, Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association.
>> Tim Wildmon: Hey, welcome back everybody to Today's Issues on the American Family Radio Network. I'm Tim with Ed and Fred. And now Steve Paisley. Jord joins us. Good morning, Steve.
>> Steve Jordahl: Good morning everybody.
>> Tim Wildmon: What's the latest, Steve?
>> Steve Jordahl: well, they have, apparently they've released a picture of the suspect. the FBI said this morning that they were going to hold that tight to their vest and try to use facial recognition. That was at the FBI briefing this morning in Utah and they said they would release it if they didn't, if that wasn't, if that didn't get a hit and they've released it. So apparently they're looking for help to find this guy. he does look like he's a young guy. He's wearing a shirt that we can't quite tell. It's a black shirt with a white logo on it that looks like it has part of an American flag and perhaps a gun. I'm not sure. So anyway, yeah, I think the, the manhunt is on and if this is the guy, I think they're, they're a lot closer to finding him than they were yesterday.
>> Tim Wildmon: this is. The cameras are everywhere.
>> Steve Jordahl: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: Situation that Ed was talking about. today in today's world, especially out in the public, there's a camera, somewh people's cell phones too. But yeah, this guy is the suspect is wearing a black long sleeve shirt, sunglasses, ball cap, white fella. Probably, probably between the ages of 20 and 24, wouldn't you say? Something like that.
>> Fred Jackson: Yeah, yeah. Young guy. Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: I'm going to guess they'll have, they'll know who he is by the end of the day. That doesn't mean they'll capture him or, you know, but I'm just saying somebody's going to know who this guy is, especially if he trains with a gun, you know, at a gun range or something like that.
>> Ed Vitagliano: but it's Utah. You could probably go out to the desert somewhere and.
>> Tim Wildmon: Right, well that's shoot all you. That's true, that's true. You got a point there. but, but anyway, I'm just saying I think by the end of the day people, somebody will call in who recognizes him. That's all I'm saying. Whether they catch him or not, that's a whole nother story.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Well, and from the reports that we've been reading, this morning, it seems like the FBI and other law Enforcement authorities have a lot of video of this guy going to and from the building.
>> Tim Wildmon: Right.
>> Ed Vitagliano: So now this.
>> Tim Wildmon: He didn't probably thing out altogether, did he? Well, he's the one.
>> Ed Vitagliano: He is. And I will say this. This individual, if this is the person, this is a person of interest. According to msnbc, that has posted the pictures online. Fox News. Well, they all do now. BBC, cnn, that this looks like an individual who knew enough to wear the ball cap and the big sunglasses and to wear, clothes that would allow him to blend in with the people on the college campus. So, now his face, he's still.
>> Tim Wildmon: Being called a person of interest.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yes.
>> Tim Wildmon: Right. Yeah. Not necessarily a suspect. Isn't that a level above a person?
>> Ed Vitagliano: They want to talk to him. Yeah, that's what they want.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay.
>> Ed Vitagliano: And, you know, where were you? And, you know, we, you know, we need your prince because we have prints on the weapon, that kind of thing.
Benjamin Netanyahu made a statement on Charlie Kirk yesterday
>> Steve Jordahl: All right, Steve, I wanted to play a couple things, that I heard, one that I heard last night that I thought was a really good statement. Ben Shapiro put, a special edition out talking about this, and one of the people he talked to was Daily Wire's Reagan Conrad, who has a show on Daily Wire. And she's, a young person, kind of comments, on culture and such. And she was kind of torn up about this. But she received a message from Charlie's pastor, guy named Rob McCoy. Charlie. He was billed as Charlie's personal pastor and said that he released this statement for the public. And this is what he said. Cut 18.
>> Speaker E: He said, My friend Charlie Kirk was murdered today by a coward. His life will be remembered for many wonderful things. He built it all with power of the spoken word. He never used violence, but was threatened every day with violence by those who couldn't contend with logic and truth. And now they have done to my friend what evil always does. It takes away life. Charlie did not die, however, but instead he has begun to truly live. His life was secured eternally by his savior, Jesus Christ. This truth allowed Charlie to face every threat with courage because he didn't fear death. All evil knows is death, and they derive their power from it. Charlie lived for life and will be remembered for this. My heart is broken for his family, his wife, Erica, his two precious children. Evil has not prevailed, and it will not win. And that was from Rob McCoy. And I think that that is true.
>> Steve Jordahl: Yeah.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Who's Rob McCoy?
>> Steve Jordahl: Rob McCoy was, billed by her as, the personal pastor of, okay. Of, Charlie Kirk. Charlie Kirk's Personal pastor. Now, they had a different guy on Fox this morning. There's Charlie's pastor. The church might have several pastors or he might be. The other thing I wanted to play, was, Benjamin Netanyahu made a statement, on Charlie Kirk. And, they had had interaction just recently. According to Benjamin Netanyahu. This is what Bibi had to say. Cut 19.
>> Jeff Chamblee: A great human being has been taken from us. He's Was an extraordinary friend. he m. You know, he, he said. He wrote me a letter on. On May 2nd this year. He said, one of my greatest joys as a Christian is advocating for Israel and forming alliances to defend Judeo Christian civilization. A few weeks before the tragedy yesterday, I called him, and I spoke to him and I said, please come to Israel. I invited him to Israel and sadly that visit will not take place. But he was, he was a defender of our common Judeo Christian civilization. He was unbelievably excited to walk in the footsteps of Jesus here. he valued our bond, the bond between America and Israel.
>> Tim Wildmon: That was Benjamin. Wow. What a great praise of Charlie, Kirk by Benjamin, Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel.
>> Ed Vitagliano: you know what?
>> Tim Wildmon: I saw a picture. I don't know if Charlie, Charlie Kirk ever went to Israel or not, but I saw. I thought I saw a picture of him in Jerusalem yesterday on the media. But. But it may have been that what Prime Minister Netanyahu is talking about, his personal invitation.
>> Fred Jackson: Right.
>> Tim Wildmon: Was never come to fruition.
>> Fred Jackson: I think I saw that picture too. And the terrain looked like it could have been Israel.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah, that was behind, by the way. And by the way, I apologize if we've already said this, but I'm constantly looking at different stories as someone's talking, so I may have missed this, but the FBI Salt Lake City office and releasing the photos now that are out on the major news networks says we are asking for the public's help identifying this person of interest. Did we already say that? No, this, this is so they. This goes to Steve's point that they were not going to release the photo while they were trying to get. Use facial recognition software to identify the. The person. This is probably the best picture they have of him since. And since facial, recognition software has not been able to identify the individual, the person. Again, person of interest. We're not saying this is the assassin, but FBI Salt Lake City office saying we are asking for the public's help identifying this individual.
>> Tim Wildmon: So I wanted to read a couple, just a couple of paragraphs. then Steve comment and YouTube can too as well.
Reports say rifle recovered in hunt for Charlie Kirk contained ammo engraved with anti-fascist ideology
And we've already talked about this last hour to some extent and I'm reading from the New York Post. It says a rifle recovered in the hunt for conservative influencer Charlie Kirk's assassin contained ammo engraved with transgender an anti fascist ideology.
>> Fred Jackson: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: According to preliminary reports from law enforcement sources, the weapon and imported, um.36 caliber.
>> Steve Jordahl: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: Help me. I'm not a, I'm not a gun person. in mouser, I think in terms of pronunciation.
>> Ed Vitagliano: I think that's Mauser bolt action rifle.
>> Tim Wildmon: Was discovered wrapped in a towel by investigators in a wooded area following the killing of the conservative firebrand that. Talking about, Charlie Kirk who was shot while speaking at Utah, Valley State. So if that's true and you know, having a gun with engravement about transgender and fashion against an anti fascist ideology, then that's going to also they're going to use that in factoring in who, you know, somebody who might be posting on social media the same type things or threats against Charlie.
>> Fred Jackson: Kirk for the person, to take time.
>> Tim Wildmon: Right.
>> Fred Jackson: To engrave that on bullets.
>> Tim Wildmon: Right. Oh, is it on bullets?
>> Fred Jackson: Yes, it says ammunition casings. Maybe ammunition. Kirk shooting engraved with transgender anti fascist ideology. That, that tells me the person is filled with hatred.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yes. There. Yes.
>> Steve Jordahl: And wanted to send a message.
>> Fred Jackson: Yes. They wanted the ammunition to be found with that message on it. So if, if, if all of these reports are true, we're now moving towards a motive. A true motive.
>> Tim Wildmon: Right.
>> Fred Jackson: For this. For this.
>> Tim Wildmon: Right, thank you. And it. Would it be a transgendered activist? It would be the same type thing that happened in Minnesota. Same types happened in Nashville.
>> Tim Wildmon: where they, the transgendered person was motivated by hate for Christians.
>> Fred Jackson: Yes.
>> Tim Wildmon: What you can say.
>> Fred Jackson: Yes.
>> Steve Jordahl: So the, the question, one of the questions now is what happens to, what has this done to the conservative movement? What has this done to college campuses? and I, I have a lengthy statement. I'll read part of it from a gentleman named Nick Freitas who is a Virginia delegate, the House of Delegates. He's a, husband, and father. He says he's a frequent post poster, on, on X. And this is what he said, says, I'm told that as a state representative, this is the moment where I'm supposed to express my heartfelt condolences and then stand in solidarity with those on the other side of the aisle as we condemn political violence and stand unified as one people. But we are not one people, are we? The truth is we haven't been for some time now, and there really is no point in pretending anymore. If there ever was. We are two very different people. We may occupy the same piece of geography, but that is where the similarities seem to abruptly end. I don't think they realize it yet, but murdering Charlie is going to be remembered as the day that we finally woke up to what this fight really is. It's not a civil dispute among fellow countrymen. It's a war between diametrically opposed worldviews which cannot peacefully coexist with one another. One side will win, one side will lose. Charlie tried to win the fight through arguments, through discussion, through peaceful resolution of differences, and the other side murdered him. I don't want to stand in solidarity with the other side. I want to defeat you. I want to defeat the godless ideology that kills babies in the womb, sterilizes confused people, turns our cities into cesspools of degeneracy and lawlessness, and murdered Charlie. Kirk. Social media now is aflame with leftists celebrating Charlie's death. I wonder if any of them understand what has just happened, if there's a Yamamoto somewhere in their midst warning that they have just awoken a sleeping giant. Every time it says my Christian, there will be a reckoning. He says. My Christian faith requires me to love my enemies and pray for those who curse me. It does not require me to stand idly by in the midst of savagery and barbarism. Quite the opposite. So every time I feel tired, every time I feel discouraged or overwhelmed, I'm going to watch the video of a good man being murdered in Utah. I will force myself to watch it, and then I will return to the work of destroying the evil ideology responsible for that and so much more. Rest with God, Charlie. Your fight is over. Ours is just beginning.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Who is this from?
>> Steve Jordahl: Nick Freitas, who is a, conservative commentator and a member of the Virginia House of Delegates. Republican.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Well, I mean, these two competing worldviews, one based, founded on God and, the scriptures, and one based on atheism and evolution and secularism, those are mutually exclusive. You know, you, you, you can have those kinds of things existing for a while, but sooner or later, one side or the other is going to win. And I'm reminded of, Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. He said in his famous the way it's described is the House divided speech said that a house divided cannot stand. Our nation cannot stand being half pro slavery and half anti slavery. It's eventually going to be one thing or the other. And I think the same thing is true about America is it's going to have to be a, Nate, One nation under God or one nation in defiance of God? One way, the other, it's got to be all one thing.
>> Steve Jordahl: So how to respond to this? Obviously, no one is suggesting that we take rifles out and go after the other side, but this may be a call to action for young people, especially who admired Charlie Kirk to get them involved in the political process. I saw several people, one who said, I voted for Barack Obama. I voted for Hillary Clinton. I've been a Democrat all my life. today I registered Republican.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Wow.
>> Steve Jordahl: One person said, I don't know what this means, but for some reason I really want to give my heart to Jesus today.
Fred Thompson: Shooting that killed Charlie Kirk raises questions about gun control
>> Ed Vitagliano: Well, it's like we've been talking about. Fred, we'll give you a chance to speak here too. But, Charlie Kirk, in the short number of years he was on this earth, and I think he, he founded, turning point 12 years ago. He had an extraordinary impact on the college age crowd, young people and, and even younger. We had a devotion in our, here at our headquarters this morning. One of the, one of our employees, we, we ask everyone to take a turn reading scripture or sharing, you know, a, devotion. he talked about his young kids, and others here at the ministry have talked about their young children. I'm not talking about like seven or eight, but I'm talking about nine, 10, 11, 12. That and, and then high school kids, they love Charlie Kirk. And to see him assassinated, this, this is traumatic. And it's. Whatever this assassin was hoping to accomplish, I feel pretty certain it's going to backfire.
>> Steve Jordahl: Did the opposite.
>> Tim Wildmon: Let me ask you one question about the, shooting itself. If anybody knows here. As I mentioned at the top of the program, I watched the video yesterday and it was just like a gas, like, couldn't get out of my head, like, sick of my stomach after watching it. Like something out of a horror movie. The gunshot that killed Charlie Kirk. But, did, did the gun, did the bullet itself bounce off the chest? the, the. What do you call the bullet ricocheted off the chest.
>> Steve Jordahl: I saw a posting that said it did. And it looked like from that posting that you could see something hit about his shoulder blade. And, and then the blood started coming up from right above that in the neck area. So it might have deflected. I know he, he certainly was probably wearing, certainly probably, I imagine he was wearing a bulletproof vest. That's part of the standard, gear when you're in a situation like that and your life is under threat. I don't know if the vest itself was enough to stop the bullet, but I imagine it might have been enough to deflect it, which is what, is being, the. The video I saw suggested that.
>> Tim Wildmon: All right, you're listening. You're listening to today's issues on the American Family Radio. also, why is it that when acts like this are committed from people on the left, that it's, we have to stop gun violence, but when it happens on the right, then the motive counts? You notice this?
>> Steve Jordahl: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.
>> Ed Vitagliano: But if, like, for example, when a white police officer shoots a police officer.
>> Tim Wildmon: At all, If a police officer shoots somebody, the left doesn't say, we got to stop gun violence.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Right?
>> Tim Wildmon: They say, we got to stop the cops.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Right?
>> Steve Jordahl: Huh?
>> Tim Wildmon: Am I right?
>> Steve Jordahl: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: But. But if a person on the left commits an act of violence, they don't say, we got to stop the motive of hate by this person. No gun violence. We got to take the guns away. So which is it? Is it the guns, or is it the motives of the person behind this gun?
>> Ed Vitagliano: Well, you're. You're coming at this from a logical perspective. And, this, This isn't the way that left operates. They don't. They don't operate on. On being intellectually consistent.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Because that's exactly. It's a. A contradictory approach they take depending on what narrative they want.
>> Tim Wildmon: Otherwise, they would say, we've got to take the guns. the. We. The. The guns. the guns that the police officers have. That's what's doing. The problem. Not the police. But, no, they go defund the police.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Right.
>> Tim Wildmon: All together. You see what I'm saying?
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah.
Matthew Dowd blamed Charlie Kirk for the Minneapolis shooting
>> Tim Wildmon: All right, so go ahead.
>> Steve Jordahl: Well, one of my jobs here is to monitor the media's reaction to news stories like this. And, there were many ridiculously, stupid takes yesterday. In the wake of this, I wanted to play what was probably the stupidest, which, cost this guy, Matthew Dowd, his job at msnbc.
>> Tim Wildmon: Who's Matthew Dowd?
>> Steve Jordahl: Matthew Dowd is a former Republican speechwriter, I believe, for Reagan and strategist.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Strategist, Bush.
>> Steve Jordahl: George W. Yeah. And who's signed on as an analyst for NBC. Ah, msnbc. And this is what he said. It's. Well, I'll just play it for you. Cut 16.
>> Speaker E: in which a shooting like this happens.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.
>> Ed Vitagliano: And again, I emphasize what you just emphasized. We don't know any. The full details of this that we don't know if this was a supporter shooting their gun off in celebration or so we have no idea.
>> Tim Wildmon: But, what is that supposed to mean?
>> Ed Vitagliano: Now that wasn't the whole, quote, was it?
>> Fred Jackson: No, there was more to it.
>> Tim Wildmon: Where's the part where that was the context?
>> Ed Vitagliano: Well, he blamed Charlie Kirk.
>> Steve Jordahl: Yes, I believe. Yeah, I think, Yeah, I did. For that.
>> Ed Vitagliano: That's why he got fired. Was.
>> Steve Jordahl: Yeah, he, he said the violence begins violence. And if you say violent things, violent things are going to happen to you. Yes.
>> Tim Wildmon: Without giving us examples of, Charlie Kirk promoting violence.
>> Steve Jordahl: No, he never did.
>> Tim Wildmon: Because he didn't. Because he did. Well, just their interpretation of violence is. If you disagree with me.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yes. Just like, Alex was talking about that, that he saw, a, a, a young woman, asking him why, how could he reconcile his Christian faith with his violence. He said, what violence? He said, your words. And he said, my words aren't violent. She said, yes, they are.
>> Steve Jordahl: Well that, that's their view. They can. They twist definitions to suit their purpose. And that's their main language, is one of their main, weapons.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Right.
>> Steve Jordahl: By redefining everything, they change the whole. They turn everything on its head.
>> Tim Wildmon: When Matthew Dowd said what he said right there, that fella there, the Charlie Kirk had not died yet. No, they were just, that was just breaking news that he was being, that was being reported. And then he says it could have been a border shooting, a gun in celebration of something that was. What is he even talking about?
>> Fred Jackson: Total silliness. I just want to put out a warning if what we're learning this morning that the ammunition used by this guy, had engraved with transgender and anti fascist ideology. When this comes out more public and they catch the guy, watch the narrative on the leftist media change. Right now they're being pretty kind about all of this, but if it turns out all of this comes together that.
>> Tim Wildmon: He, they're going to go into defensive posture.
>> Fred Jackson: They're going to go into defensive posture and that, they'll be careful about it initially, but they'll start to say this poor man who carried out this deed.
>> Ed Vitagliano: You really think they'll say that he.
>> Fred Jackson: Was oppressed and I think they're going.
>> Tim Wildmon: To say he's mentally ill. They got, they got to go. I don't know about oppressed. Well, maybe they will. And so he was bullied or whatever like that. So he acted out.
>> Fred Jackson: I'm just putting that warning out there if. Get ready, get ready, get ready for this, folks.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Well, I think you're right. They will have to spend this.
>> Tim Wildmon: Right.
>> Ed Vitagliano: They can't. They can't. This is what the media will not. The legacy media cannot say, well, another trans, you know, individual, like in Nashville, like in Minneapolis, or trans sympathizer, does it again. They can't say that.
>> Tim Wildmon: Right, right.
>> Ed Vitagliano: So they will have to spin it somehow. I think they're gonna get back to their narrative.
>> Tim Wildmon: They could go with, he's a white man. They got that going for him. Well, if in fact, he's, this is the killer I'm talking about.
>> Ed Vitagliano: He, right now he's a person of.
>> Tim Wildmon: Of interest.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Of interest. And the FBI is asking. Fox, by the way, has the number. I think you can call if you have information about who this individual may be.
Well, pray for Charlie Kirk's widow and two small children
>> Tim Wildmon: Well, pray for Charlie Kirk. his wife's name is Erica.
>> Steve Jordahl: Erica.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Erica.
>> Tim Wildmon: And they have two small children. And their lives are changed forever.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Oh my goodness.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, forever. We'll be back after. No, we won't. This is the end of the show.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Tomorrow's, trivia Friday.
>> Tim Wildmon: All, right, we'll be back tomorrow. In the meantime, as I say, pray for Charlie Kirk's widow and his, two small children.
