The Morning Sixpack - September 11, 2025
Trump blames left, Vance mourns Kirk, SK workers caught in raid limbo, inflation ticks up, Spinal Tap farts again—America on brand. #NeverForget
Charlie Kirk Murdered at Utah University Event
Charlie Kirk was gunned down by a lone sniper while speaking to thousands at Utah Valley University, a brazen act state leaders call a political assassination.
The 31-year-old conservative activist and close Trump ally was struck in the neck midday Wednesday, collapsing as onlookers screamed and fled. Police say the gunman fired from a rooftop perch on campus, but hours later the shooter remained at large.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox didn’t mince words, declaring, “This is a political assassination.” Authorities detained two men briefly but released them, insisting no suspects are in custody. The statewide manhunt is ongoing.
Donald Trump, visibly rattled, vowed retribution in a Truth Social video: “My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence.” He also ordered U.S. flags flown at half-staff through Sunday.
Congress tried and failed to hold a moment of silence, which—true to form—spiraled into partisan bickering.
Kirk was in the middle of launching his 15-stop “American Comeback Tour” and had just fielded a question on gun violence seconds before being shot. Awkward.
His influence on Trump’s reelection was undeniable, and his role in youth conservative politics made him one of the movement’s most visible—and polarizing—figures.
Source: Reuters
The guy who spent years fanning culture-war flames got taken out while talking about gun violence. America, you can’t write this script any darker—or more on-the-nose.
Meanwhile, this fucking guy…
Trump Blames “Radical Left Rhetoric” for Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
Donald Trump wasted no time blaming the “radical left” for Charlie Kirk’s killing, turning a national tragedy into another culture-war broadside.
In a four-minute Oval Office address, Trump called Wednesday a “dark day for America” and promised vengeance against anyone connected to the shooting. He accused the left—and the media—of fueling a climate of hate: “Violence and murder are the tragic consequences of demonizing those with whom you disagree, day after day, year after year.”
Kirk, 31, was shot dead at Utah Valley University by a rooftop sniper during a campus event. Trump described him as “the best of America” and “a martyr for truth and freedom,” pledging to hunt down not just the killer but “the organizations that fund it and support it.”
To make his point, Trump ticked through a list of past attacks on conservatives: the 2017 shooting of Rep. Steve Scalise, the Butler, Pennsylvania, attempt on his own life in 2024, and others. But conveniently left out of his lecture were violent attacks from the right—like the Pelosi hammer assault, the Minnesota state lawmaker assassination, or the constant threats against Democrats. Selective memory is a hell of a political strategy.
Trump ended by insisting Americans recommit to “free speech, citizenship, the rule of law and the patriotic devotion and love of God.” Lofty words, sure. But missing was any acknowledgment that the same divisive fire-and-brimstone rhetoric his movement thrives on has also poisoned the well.
Source: UPI
Trump has been fomenting violence for decades. His stochastic terrorism has led to many deaths, threats, and loads of violence. He has NO FUCKING RIGHT to be saying jackshit about any of this.
JD Vance Cancels 9/11 Trip to Visit Charlie Kirk’s Family in Utah
Vice President JD Vance will head to Utah to comfort Charlie Kirk’s family, putting aside his New York 9/11 memorial plans after his close friend’s assassination.
The 41-year-old VP and his wife, Usha, will travel to Salt Lake City Thursday, a day after Kirk was gunned down during a campus event. Vance, visibly shaken, wrote on X: “Charlie Kirk was a true friend. The kind of guy you could say something to and know it would always stay with him.”
Their friendship dates back to 2017 when Kirk, already building his conservative media empire, reached out to Vance after seeing him on Tucker Carlson’s show. The bond grew so strong that Vance credits Kirk with shaping his political rise—connecting him to Trumpworld insiders and even lobbying for him to be picked as Trump’s running mate in 2024.
Vance revealed Kirk helped staff much of the administration and remained a constant presence in his personal life, checking on Vance’s family after the sudden upheaval of Secret Service life. He recalled their late-night debates on faith, politics, and ideas, calling Kirk’s influence “profound” and his support unwavering.
When the news broke Wednesday, Vance was in a West Wing meeting as texts flooded group chats with prayers for Kirk. Within an hour, the prayers turned into condolences. Trump, acknowledging the loss in the Oval Office, told Vance, “I know he was a very good friend of yours.”
Source: Washington Post
Nothing screams “new American politics” like a VP skipping the 9/11 memorial to mourn a culture-war influencer who spent his days dunking on college kids.
Where was Vance when 2 people in Minnesota were assassinated (and two others shot)? Two lawmakers were shot, including their spouses, and one of the lawmakers and her husband DIED.
Fucking hypocrite.
Trump Halts Deportation of South Korean Workers After Hyundai-LG Raid
More than 300 skilled South Korean workers were detained in Georgia, shackled like criminals, and then told by Trump they might stay to “train” Americans.
The group of 316 workers, arrested in the largest workplace raid of Trump’s second term, were supposed to fly home Wednesday. But Trump personally delayed their repatriation, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio telling Seoul the president wanted to “explore” whether they should remain in the U.S. to educate American workers. In other words: They were valuable enough to train us, but not valuable enough to be here legally in the first place. Sounds like indentured servitude to me.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun quickly rejected the idea, insisting the workers return home now and maybe come back later under proper arrangements. Seoul has been fuming since the raid, which made global headlines after images surfaced of handcuffed engineers—exactly the kind of high-skill labor U.S. factories keep begging for.
The irony runs deep: Washington keeps pushing South Korean giants like Hyundai and LG to build high-tech plants in the U.S., but still hasn’t created a visa system to let their specialists actually set them up. As South Korean President Lee Jae Myung put it bluntly, the whole debacle risks chilling future investments.
Can we say it now? Not only is the Trump regime evil, but they are stupid and incompetent as fuck. Can we say it?
Meanwhile, Homeland Security says some workers overstayed visas, some entered improperly, and others were on flimsy business waivers. Whatever the technicalities, Trump’s “solution” sounded like classic transactional politics: Scare off your investors, arrest their people, then pitch it as a win for American jobs.
Source: Washington Post
Nothing screams “business-friendly America” like detaining the very experts you begged to come here—then suggesting they stick around as unpaid trainers.
Seriously. Fuck that guy.
Inflation Hits 2.9% in August, Fed Still Eyeing Rate Cuts
Consumer prices rose 2.9% in August, the highest year-over-year reading since early 2025, keeping the Fed in a bind as it eyes rate cuts.
The Labor Department reported Thursday that prices jumped 0.4% from July, topping forecasts. Core inflation, which strips out food and energy, came in at 3.1% annually—right on target with expectations. (But not on target with the Fed’s mandate.)
Translation: The “everything costs more” problem isn’t going away, even if Wall Street keeps pretending it’s temporary.
Markets flinched after the release, with stock futures paring gains and investors betting harder on a September rate cut. But the real debate isn’t about next week—it’s about whether tariffs and higher input costs become baked in, fueling wage demands like they did in 2021–22. That’s the nightmare scenario Powell and company don’t want to say out loud.
Meanwhile, companies from Hormel to Ace Hardware are already hiking prices, while big-box giants like Walmart and Target quietly pass tariffs onto shoppers. And yet Trump jumped on Truth Social declaring “No Inflation!!!” after producer prices dipped a measly 0.1% in August. Sure, Don—it’s just everyone else’s grocery bill that disagrees with you.
Inflation data shows the pressure points: food, housing, and imported goods. And while the White House insists tariffs will make America “wealthier,” the check at the register says otherwise.
Source: Wall Street Journal (gift article)
If this is “no inflation,” then I must be hallucinating every time my grocery cart rings up like I just financed a new car.
Spinal Tap II Brings the Band Back—With Farting Bottoms and Familiar Riffs
After 41 years, Spinal Tap is back, older, cheesier, and arguing over whether a giant inflatable butt should fart on stage.
“Spinal Tap II: The End Continues,” hitting theaters Friday, doubles as both a sequel to the 1984 cult mockumentary and a spoof of decades of farewell tours and nostalgia reunions. Rob Reiner returns as Marty DiBergi, now coaxing the band back together after a Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood cover of “Big Bottom” sparks dreams of a comeback.
The boys are scattered but recognizable: Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest) runs a cheese shop, David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean) composes podcast hold music, and Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) runs a glue museum after losing it all in crypto. Naturally, Nigel still obsesses over gear—his wah-wah pedals are his new amp that “goes to 11.”
Conflict simmers as the band rehearses, their harmony falling apart over compositions and effects. Cameos abound—Paul McCartney and Elton John actually jam with them, while Fran Drescher and Paul Shaffer pop in for callbacks. A new drummer, Didi Crockett (Valerie Franco), injects fresh energy and proves the only one not weighed down by Spinal Tap’s baggage.
The movie sticks to its mock-doc roots: some jokes land brilliantly, others feel like remixes of old gags. By the finale, it’s essentially a concert film of greatest hits with a few deep cuts tossed in for hardcore fans. It’s amiable, familiar, and—like the band itself—hard to hate even when you know exactly what’s coming.
Source: UPI
Nothing says rock ’n’ roll like a septuagenarian reunion tour! The original Spinal Tap came about during my formative years so there’s a special place in my heart for the band. I’m looking forward to seeing it. But I can wait til it’s streaming…