Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Today as it Happened on Wednesday, August 19, 2026:
The prosecution in the Charlie Kirk murder case argued this week that messages carved into bullets suggest Kirk was targeted for his political beliefs.
The Tuesday court filing came in response to arguments from Tyler Robinson’s defense team, which sought to prove the evidence against Robinson is not sufficient to proceed to trial and that he should not face the death penalty.
Prosecutors have accused Robinson of shooting Kirk during the conservative activist’s event at Utah Valley University in September 2025. In court filings, they’ve sought to show Robinson should be eligible for a death penalty sentence if he is convicted at trial.
“The only way that you can move to that second phase is if the jury decides that there is the presence of an aggravating factor that would make the case death-eligible ... There has to be some aggravating factor that elevates it to the worst of the worst type of murder,” Paul Cassell, a law professor at the University of Utah, told Scripps News.
For the first time since reopening last year, independent monitors will have direct access to a for-profit immigration detention center in Dilley, Texas, that holds babies and children along with their parents who have been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The two outside observers are Stanford pediatrician Dr. Paul Wise and former U.S. attorney Andrea Sheridan Ordin. The judicial order empowers them to make unannounced visits, interview families and inspect ICE records at Dilley.
In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee said she had “serious concerns” that ICE was not complying with a long-standing rule that prohibits prolonged detention of children.
And President Trump is leaving the door open for future negotiations with Iran as the conflict continues.
Trump said Wednesday the U.S. could return to talks “maybe at some point, but right now, I think the situation is so good.”
In a social media post Tuesday, Trump said there were no conversations going on with Iran while the U.S. continued its naval blockade. The message came after his negotiator and son in law Jared Kushner told Fox News Monday that conversations continued, but “they're not showing any interest in doing something that makes sense for us.”
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Today as it Happened on Wednesday, August 19, 2026:
The prosecution in the Charlie Kirk murder case argued this week that messages carved into bullets suggest Kirk was targeted for his political beliefs.
The Tuesday court filing came in response to arguments from Tyler Robinson’s defense team, which sought to prove the evidence against Robinson is not sufficient to proceed to trial and that he should not face the death penalty.
Prosecutors have accused Robinson of shooting Kirk during the conservative activist’s event at Utah Valley University in September 2025. In court filings, they’ve sought to show Robinson should be eligible for a death penalty sentence if he is convicted at trial.
“The only way that you can move to that second phase is if the jury decides that there is the presence of an aggravating factor that would make the case death-eligible ... There has to be some aggravating factor that elevates it to the worst of the worst type of murder,” Paul Cassell, a law professor at the University of Utah, told Scripps News.
For the first time since reopening last year, independent monitors will have direct access to a for-profit immigration detention center in Dilley, Texas, that holds babies and children along with their parents who have been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The two outside observers are Stanford pediatrician Dr. Paul Wise and former U.S. attorney Andrea Sheridan Ordin. The judicial order empowers them to make unannounced visits, interview families and inspect ICE records at Dilley.
In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee said she had “serious concerns” that ICE was not complying with a long-standing rule that prohibits prolonged detention of children.
And President Trump is leaving the door open for future negotiations with Iran as the conflict continues.
Trump said Wednesday the U.S. could return to talks “maybe at some point, but right now, I think the situation is so good.”
In a social media post Tuesday, Trump said there were no conversations going on with Iran while the U.S. continued its naval blockade. The message came after his negotiator and son in law Jared Kushner told Fox News Monday that conversations continued, but “they're not showing any interest in doing something that makes sense for us.”
-------------------------------------
Follow Scripps News on other platforms—
Join our newsletter at bit.ly/2q1tepr
Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/scrippsnews
Follow us on X: https://x.com/scrippsnews
Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/scrippsnews
Follow us on TikTok: tiktok.com/@scrippsnews
