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9/18/25 - Social Media's Role in Kimmel's Suspension - Mark Levin Podcast | Wave AI Podcast Notes

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9/18/25 - Social Media's Role in Kimmel's Suspension

Mark Levin Podcast

Fri Sep 19 2025

Summary

Mark Levin Podcast - September 18, 2025

Episode: "Social Media's Role in Kimmel's Suspension"

Summary by PodcastSummarizerAI

Episode Overview

This episode, guest-hosted by Brian Mudd (with contributions from Aaron Klein and Mark Levin call-ins/recordings), delves into the suspension of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel following controversial comments about Charlie Kirk’s assassination and examines the broader role of social media in spreading misinformation and shaping public opinion. The discussion spans Kimmel’s online impact, the ensuing corporate and regulatory fallout, cancel culture and doxxing, the disturbing culture of political violence, and a hopeful look at renewed faith and community engagement in response to national tragedy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Kimmel Suspension: Context and Commentary

Kimmel’s "no-talent" Label: Both Mark Levin and his guest hosts repeatedly refer to Kimmel as a "no talent" and "ass clown," further criticizing the left-leaning nature of his show and late-night television in general. (00:38, 04:00)
Controversial Segment: Kimmel joked and provided commentary on the assassination of Charlie Kirk, making light of the event and blending it with a Trump soundbite, which was perceived as callously trivializing a national tragedy. (04:56)
Corporate Response: ABC, network owners Nexstar Media, Sinclair Broadcast Group, and parent company Disney moved to suspend Kimmel, with speculation about FCC influence and networks distancing themselves to protect their brand. (15:06, 24:00)

"At the point where a horrific assassination of somebody is... an opportunity to misinform for political gain and is funny somehow... something so broken in that situation that as a corporation, how can you stand behind it?"
— Aaron Klein, 27:02

2. Social Media Algorithms & Misinformation

Algorithms Feed Bias: Brian Mudd illustrates how algorithms deliver ideologically slanted content, creating feedback loops that reinforce existing perspectives and filter bubbles, whether left or right. (07:01)
Fake News Amplification: The episode details how influencers like Randy Weingarten (teachers’ union president) reposted unsubstantiated or demonstrably false claims about Kirk’s killer—posts that remain online, later echoed by Kimmel on broadcast TV. (07:01-13:41)

“Algorithms online create positive feedback loops so that most people only see what it is that they prefer to see… That’s how the misinformation age works.”
— Brian Mudd, 10:30

AI & News Credibility: New journalism studies cited—over half of Americans now primarily get their “news” from social media/video networks; a non-trivial 7% of content is already AI-generated. (11:50)

3. Broadcasting, Public Interest, and the FCC

Serving Public Interest: The importance of “serving the public interest” for licensed broadcasters is emphasized, with debate over whether FCC Chair Brendan Carr’s comments constituted a warning for networks to self-police, or a threat of regulatory overreach. (16:45, 24:30)
Corporate Altruism or Pragmatism?: There’s skepticism about network motives—was pulling Kimmel a values-based move or a business decision influenced by FCC leverage and ongoing merger negotiations? (24:30)

“I do think that there needs to be a very thoughtful approach from this point forward with the fcc, because the weaponization of that organization…”
— Aaron Klein, 27:02

4. Cancel Culture, Doxxing, and Personal Accountability

Cancel Culture Hypocrisy: Mudd and callers address claims of double standards in “cancel culture”—noting that public celebrants of Kirk’s assassination are responsible for their own accountability, and shining a light on what counts as doxxing in the social media age. (28:30)
Definition of Doxxing: "If you post stuff publicly online, you can’t by definition be doxxed. You’ve exposed yourself. You doxed yourself." (29:20)
Corporate Responsibility: Businesses and institutions are now quicker to discipline to avoid perceptions of endorsement, as in the Kimmel or Bud Light marketing controversies. (25:56, 28:00)

5. Political Violence & Spiritual Decline

Chilling Polling Data: Multiple studies (Rutgers, NCRI, Barna, Pew) show up to half of left-leaning Americans see assassination of political figures like Trump or Musk as "justifiable" under some circumstances—an issue described as deeply moral, not simply rhetorical. (51:20, 74:45)
Both Sides Fallacy Rejected: The narrative that "both sides" equally promote political violence is firmly rejected by the hosts and guests, who argue recent attacks arise overwhelmingly from left-wing sources. (55:35, 74:45)

“That is not a both sides problem. My friend is dead because of left wing political radicalization.”
— Vice President J.D. Vance (quoted by Aaron Klein), 55:35

6. Faith, Resilience, and the 'Charlie Kirk Effect'

Personal Reflections and Faith: Brian Mudd shares his personal spiritual journey after the loss of his cat, tying it to national mourning and Kirk’s memory as a Christian leader who inspired faith among young people. (40:16)
Turning Point USA’s Surge: In the wake of Kirk’s death, Turning Point USA has received tens of thousands of requests for chapters and volunteers, indicating a surge in youth activism and renewed faith engagement. (80:59)
Church Attendance up Post-tragedy: Citing Catholic News Agency and Barna Group, church attendance spikes (analogous to post-9/11) are reported, particularly among Gen Z and Millennials. (80:59)
Correlation – Faith, Crime, and Well-being: Studies showing regular churchgoers are less likely to commit violence or engage in substance abuse; a call to return to faith to heal societal divisions. (93:41)

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

Kimmel’s Suspension as a Corporate Decision:
"He was fired because he had bad ratings more than anything else. And he said a horrible thing about a great gentleman known as Charlie Kirk."
— Mark Levin, 35:12
On Social Media Feedback Loops:
“Algorithms online create positive feedback loops so that most people only see what it is that they prefer to see...”
— Brian Mudd, 10:30
On Fake News and Broadcast Accountability:
“The action to suspend Kimmel, it wasn’t by the FCC directly, but rather by private companies... and then yes, subsequently by Disney, parent of abc.”
— Aaron Klein, 15:06
Doxxing and Public Responsibility:
"If you post stuff publicly online, you can’t by definition be doxxed. You’ve exposed yourself. You doxed yourself."
— Aaron Klein, 29:20
On Cancel Culture and Accountability:
“I certainly don’t endorse Cancel Culture at all... But at the same time, I do endorse personal accountability. Big believer in personal accountability.”
— Aaron Klein, 30:30
Vice President Rejects “Both Sides” on Political Violence:
"My friend is dead because of left wing political radicalization... it is not a both sides problem."
— J.D. Vance (quoted), 55:35
Faith’s Societal Impact:
“So you want to knock down crime by 20 to 30%. Get people to connect with faith. Get people in church.”
— Aaron Klein, 93:41

Important Segment Timestamps

Jimmy Kimmel’s Comments & Social Media Impact: 04:00–13:41
Echo Chambers and Fake News: 07:01–13:41
FCC, Corporate Response & Broadcast Ethics: 15:06–25:56
Cancel Culture and Doxxing Discussion: 25:56–35:12
Political Violence, Assassination Culture & Faith: 40:16–64:04, 74:45–80:59
The 'Charlie Kirk Effect': Youth Surge in Faith/Activism: 80:59–98:11

Tone & Language

Direct, confrontational, and sardonic, especially toward the political left, mainstream media, Hollywood, and Kimmel.
Emotional and personally reflective in discussions of faith and personal loss.
Optimistic in conclusion—the adversity fuels a positive response: renewed youth engagement, faith, and activism.

Final Takeaways

Kimmel as Symbol: His suspension is treated less as an isolated corporate decision and more as a flashpoint for deep U.S. cultural and political divides, especially around free speech, truth, and moral standards.
Danger of Misinformation: Social media algorithms and online influencers (including traditional broadcasters crossing into digital) are shaping realities in powerful, often harmful ways.
Crisis—and Response: While assassination culture, hate, and misinformation create a national crisis, the show highlights a wave of renewed faith and engagement among young people, suggesting hope for national renewal.
Personal Agency: Whether it’s about what you post online or how you respond to tragedy, the recurring message is for listeners to own their decisions, seek truth over echo chambers, and return to foundational values.

For listeners seeking sharp, deeply opinionated analysis of a fraught national moment—plus a call to faith and resilience—this episode captures the current conservative view of America’s battles over media, truth, and societal direction.

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Transcript

Mark Levin (0:00)

The radical left's agendas are attacking your values. But conservatives like you haven't forgotten what this country was built on. My friends, the Heritage foundation exists to make sure your voice is heard and to represent your values in the D.C. swamp. The Heritage foundation stands for your values. And they won't give up the struggle because they know you never will. Paid for by the Heritage Foundation.

Brian Mudd (0:21)

He's here. He's here now. Broadcasting from the underground command post deep in the bowels of a hidden bunker.

Mark Levin (0:31)

Somewhere under to the brick and steel.

Brian Mudd (0:33)

Of a nondescript building, we've once again.

Aaron Klein (0:36)

Made contact with our leader.

Mark Levin (0:38)

Mark Len has no talent. Kimmel has no talent. They're next. They're going to be going, I hear they're going to be going, I don't know, but I would imagine because they get, you know, Colbert has better ratings than Kimmel or Fallon, you know that.

Aaron Klein (0:56)

Aha. So that turned out to be somewhat predictive, which, what does that mean for the other name on that list? That was the President about five weeks ago, as we take a look at Jimmy Kimmel in the misinformation age as we've had another very festive and busy news day. Hey there, I'm Brian Mudd in for the Great one, Mark Levin. Mark is in Israel. He'll be back in the not so distant with all kinds of great stories and info for you. Meanwhile, you can follow on social media. He's had a lot that's been coming out of that trip. Now I am always honored to be here with you. I am the host of the Brian Mud show, my home station, WJNO and West Palm beach. And you can catch the Brian Mud show, the podcast, wherever you get your podcast. And you can also follow me at Brian Mud Radio. Now, speaking of social media. So this, this just him, my social media feeds, the various algorithms, what do they feed you? What do you usually see when you go on social media? What, what populates, how much Kimmel you get? I never, I never get Jimmy Kimmel content. Never in, in my feedback, Mr. Producer, how much kimball you have running in your feed? You probably do have a lot of Kimball in your feed. Yeah, so. And that's because you know, when it comes to Kimmel, when it comes to Colbert or whomever, I mean any of those no talent ass clowns, I truly couldn't care less about whatever it is that they've said. And to be clear, that's like one of those qualifiers, you know, you'll have some people say, oh well, yeah, I really couldn't Care less. And they're really just kind of compensating for the fact that they actually do care. No, I don't care. And they don't bug me because it's not a second thought in my life or my day at any point ever. And so their shows, their opinions, whatever, because you. You have no shortage of mental. You got no shortage of bigots with opinions. They're out there everywhere, right? They. They just happen to be among the group of those people. And yes, in broadcast tv, but the fact of the matter is that despite declining ratings, millions, most of them on social media, millions of people actually do. And for that reason, what they say and what Kimmel specifically said that led to his suspension. You've heard the clip many times over by now. I'm sure that, you know, we hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it. It's like, what. What in the world? And the guy has all those writers, too. It just. It's special. But anyway, that kind of stuff does matter. It mattered to over a million people who for some reason forgot how to use a remote and watched. Mattered to many millions who watched it online, which is where most of his audience is. And probably. Yeah, and you hear this a lot. And you heard this with Colbert, too, you know. Well, yeah, you know, they're losing all this money for the networks, but. But it's the online audience. Okay, all right. They never tell you about the monetization of that for them specifically, but look at the online audience. But anyway, the reason the online audience is. Is far superior. Far, far superior. The people actually tune into to those shows, probably because even the people are like, yeah, I'll. I'll do the Kimmel. You probably don't want to be exposed to more than like, 60 seconds of clip. So anyway, it also mattered what he said to the yahoos in that room who laughed right along with him. You know, that was one of the things that was actually creepiest in the whole sequence with Kimmel was not just that he said that and then that he immediately transitioned to playing a clip of President Trump talking about the construction of the ballroom at the White House. It was.

Aaron Klein (7:01)

He'S far from the first. While as part of regular practice I do I mentioned could not care less about the Kimmel thing or the Colbert thing or insert idiot here, I do regularly monitor what's happening with your godless, soulless and slanderous left. I sample a heavy dose of it daily to see what the heck it is that they're doing, what it is they have going on, kind of vile hatred that they're spewing towards our president and his supporters, what they think about you. For example, of particular interest to me, I keep tabs on what's happening with Randy Weingarten, the president of the National Education Association. I like keeping tabs on what the agenda is of the largest teachers union because that kind of gives you an idea of what the agenda is that's being filtered into the teachers themselves. That's being filtered into our kids classrooms. So knowing what Randy Winegarden is up to gives you an idea of what the teachers unions are doing in the classrooms. So anyway, as early as last week, in the immediate aftermath of the assassin being apprehended, I saw messages like this which was reposted by Randi Winegarden and by the way, as of this minute is still active in her X feed. If you go to Randi Weingarten, you go back to last Friday in her X feed, you will see this. According to Utah officials, plus police interviews with his family, Tyler Robinson hated Charlie Kirk because Kirk wasn't conservative enough. GOP is now scrubbing X post about Dems faster than DOJ erases Trump name in Epstein files Again that was put up reposted by Randy Weingarten, still active right now. Obviously a straight up lie. And so here's the thing. Let's say that for example, I don't know, you're a teacher who pays attention to Randy Weingarten. Okay? So now that finds your algorithm, that does find your feed. And now let's say that you sample a steady dose of leftist nonsense while you're online. You're gonna find no shortage of influencers or phone news sources or whatever. Some cases, AI animations that reinforce the fake news. And then you get to Monday and Jimmy Kimmel's drivel comes along. And if you had any doubt about whether what you were reading on social media was true, well, that doubt might be removed when Kimmel talks about it on a traditional broadcast network. And who knows, maybe at that point you disturbingly laugh right along with his bit too. That's how the misinformation age works. Algorithms online create positive feedback loops so that most people only see what it is that they prefer to see. You know, for example, and guilty as charged here. Well, Mr. Producer does have a lot of kimball on his feed because he's working on all that stuff today. I just happened to pop into my feed. First thing that came up was Charlie Kirk, one of his debates, right? You go to yours, you'll probably see something similar too. That's how they work left and right. Doesn't matter. It's a positive feedback loop for you, seeing what it is that you would prefer to see based upon what you're always going to. So there usually these days, for example, isn't a day that goes by anymore when I don't have a listener that isn't asking me, you know, sending me something online, you know, about an AI fake. Some cases, hey, is this real? Other cases, just thinking it's real. And a lot of the fakes are already very convincing in the first place. And then when you have all the misinformation from the human types. So let's put some context to this. It was just in June that Oxford's Rutgers Institute for the Study of Journalism found that for the first time, a majority of Americans, 54%, get their news from social media and video networks. 54%. Now, by the way, you are part of the 28% who get your news from podcasts and radio. So what the study also found was that already 7% of what people consumed as news entirely generated of AI. I mean, what the heck could go wrong there, right? So there are large swaths of society that are effectively just devoid of reality. And they might even think they're informed. They might be seeking out information every day and could be just totally devoid of reality. And it's quite likely that many of them do get Kimmel in their feed. So to bring this back around to Kimmel getting suspended, potentially canned, we'll see where this goes. FCC Chair Brendan Carr has emphasized the importance of licensed broadcasters serving the public interest. The legal requirement to maintain a license. Okay, well, in today's misinformation age, probably even more important than it had previously been. For example, what if those who'd been fed fake news all weekend heard Kimmel share, I don't know, different news and views? How about actual truth in that little bit that he did? I'll pick up there next. Brian Mutt in for the great one.

Aaron Klein (15:06)

But even though we're talking about comedy, this is so serious. Aaron. America is a less free place. If late night comedians cannot do and say what they want, of course they can be tuned out. People can change the channel. That's how we vote. That's how we have our say in America. But this really does have a chilling effect across the American media. Tell you what has a chilling effect is Brian Stelter that that man knows how to have a chilling effect on a situation. Okay, so Jimmy Kimmel in the misinformation age. I left off talking about the algorithms, the fake news world that so many people live in. And this can happen on both sides of the aisle. You are going to get in your social media, you're going to get online what it is that you like, that you tend to go to. And if all you do is go to fake news, all you're going to see is fake news. And then if you happen to get that reinforced by somebody like, oh, I don't know, Jimmy Kimmel, then all of a Sudden it can become your reality. So the whole idea that Stelter is not addressing there is the difference with a licensed broadcaster serving the public interest, let alone the fact that you have private companies that are involved in this entire situation. So I threw out the question. Let's say that people had been fed fake news all weekend. So much that had been fed online suggesting that the assassin was some right wing nutjob. What if Kimmel had actually shared something that was accurate and true? Well, you know what? That actually could have served the public interest, that could have served the public and maybe it would have even opened the eyes of those brainwashed by the Internet trolls, brainwashed by the AI fakes, brainwashed by Randy Stinkin Weingarten, the head of the National Education association, who still on her feed right now, has demonstrably false, slanderous, outrageous information saying that according to Utah officials, plus police interviews with his family, Tyler Robinson hated Charlie Kirk because Kirk wasn't conservative enough. GOP ers now scrubbing X post about Dems faster than DOJ erases Trump name in Epstein files. That's still on Randy Weingarten's feed right now. But hey, she should be the most influential person over the teachers in the country, right? But anyway, now instead Kimmel opted to demonstrably lie, did it to you, hoping to, I don't know, reinforce the fake news views, I guess. I imagine the guy is actually smart enough to know the difference. Not to mention, I mean, with however many dozens of people ridiculously work on that show with him, surely somebody in the mix knew the truth. I'm sure Jimmy Kimmel knew the truth, just chose to directly lie to you. So importantly, from my perspective, the action to suspend Kimmel, it wasn't by the FCC directly, but rather by private companies, by nexstar Media, Sinclair Broadcast Group, large owners of the ABC affiliates across the country, and then, yes, subsequently by Disney, parent of abc. We'll pick up there next. Brian Mudden For Mark levin.

Aaron Klein (20:48)

This guy, Chuck Schumer, oh, man, you know what, he sounded like he had a little life to him today. He didn't have that going for him. You know, the one big miss in the Senate when you're doing stuff like this, they were unveiling, I believe it's called the Nope act, the no Political Enemies Act. Free speech. Free speech. Free speech from the people. The party that literally targeted your speech online, that literally silenced conservatives online, that threatened big tech companies and social media companies to make sure that things like, I don't know, Hunter Biden's laptop were spiked among all kinds of these people. You can't, you can't make it up. Brian Mudd in for Mark Levitt. They don't want you to speak. There is something about regulated broadcasting. So a couple things for you real quick. Mark is in Israel, going to be back soon. And if you don't have a copy of On Power yet, you're missing out. In fact, I don't just have one. I get to got paperback and hard copy. So get one, get to get informed is the most important thing. I think it is a great compliment to so many of Mark's works goes hand in glove with American Marxism now as we're talking about Jimmy Kimmel in the misinformation age and the posturing now of Schumer and the political left that now suddenly there for freedom of expression after having used the federal government to target you, to limit your ability to speak, to share, to disseminate information. A couple things that I brought up about serving the public interest, which is the mandate when you get into the broadcast world and I mentioned that for me, from my perspective, it's important that the FCC wasn't Directly the one making this decision, but rather nextstar Media, Sinclair Broadcasting and then ultimately Disney. Now the cynical will say that Nexstar's pending $6.2 billion merger with another media entity that requires FCC approval to go through behind them making the first big move. So earlier in the day yesterday you did have FCC chair Carr, he told Benny Johnson that these companies can find ways to take action on Kimmel or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead. Now you could see how that could be interpreted as a threat. And one of the things I'm very cautious of, heavy handed government agencies, you know, as those on the right have seen from the IRS targeting of over a decade ago to the big tech pressure to sensitive censor conservative content that we're talking about and real news to the targeting of the finances by pressuring big banks of a bunch of different concerns. By the way, 92 conservative groups, that's what the Trump administration has uncovered. 92 conservative groups were targeted by the Biden DOJ, their finances with big banks, oh by the way, including Turning Point usa. So the left has been more than willing to weaponize government agencies. We've seen this for a very long time. And should they come back into power again, I mean history, history says that at some point it's going to. I say should because I want to be an optimist here. Maybe people will find God in all of this and get away from the Marxists. But anyway, should they come back into power again, I do have concerns about the weaponization of the fcc. So I don't know if the decision to pull Kimmel for now was altruistic. I don't know if it was pragmatic. But I do know that Jimmy Kimmel was not serving the public interest. And this may have also been the perfect opportunity and excuse just for ABC to do something they needed to do. You take a look at his ratings or the lack thereof. So as always, you do have two sides of stories. You got one side of facts. And well, facts matter more in the misinformation age than they really ever have before. Let's go to Jim in Dallas. Jim, welcome to the show.

Aaron Klein (27:02)

Jim, that is. You're spot on there. I think you make a really good point because at the point where a horrific assassination of somebody is a. An opportunity to misinform for political game and is funny somehow or another, you can twist into humor so you can misinform and try to turn it into humor. Again, there's something so broken in that situation that as a corporation, how can you stand behind it? And I do think, you know, in the grand scheme of fake news, of, of dishonesty that's out there even on the broadcast networks, I mean, you take a look at, you know, the news product at ABC News, you take a look at the news product at NBC News, at CBS News, I mean, a lot of fake news going on there, right? But you are really talking about a whole new level of depravity at the point where you have a horrific assassination and you use that as an opportunity to deliberately lie effectively, slander, and then try to manipulate that into humor. That is disgusting in every imaginable way. But then to do that on broadcast television, where there is a license and there is a mandate to serve the public interest, that's a whole different thing. Now, again, there is a lot of evidence that Brandon Carr, who is supportive of this, may have had some influence in this. I do think that there needs to be a very thoughtful approach from this point forward with the fcc, because the weaponization of that organization, you know, somebody. I'm in my 28th year in this industry, I can't tell you how many times that people have, have come after me, have come after my stations, that kind of thing. Lord knows Mark has dealt with it. Good gosh. And so can you imagine what might happen to this industry if the left gets a hold of it and tries to, you know, handle things from a weaponized perspective? This has long been a concern of ours on the broadcast talk radio Side, So, you know, there. That's where there needs to be some thoughtfulness that comes into play. I respect Carr to a great degree. Little nervous with the approach there. And the point about the company stepping up and doing the right thing by ultimately their viewers, but also their shareholders and also just humanity. That's another in a very important thing. So then you get into the next part of this. You get into the next part of this, which is, you know, the idea of cancel culture hypocrisy. And even before we had the Kimmel thing, you had a lot of people that are getting suspended were getting fired over the weekend. And, you know, you're doxing people and you're. You're rooting for them to get fired. Well, so talk about that for a minute. So the. The definition of doxing is this. It's the act of exposing private or identifying information on the Internet about an individual or group without the person or group's consent, usually with malicious intent. Okay, so that is doxing. So, for example, identifying the name of an ICE officer and maybe even their home address while they are just lawfully doing their job, that is doxing. That is doxing. Now, drawing attention to, or maybe even creating a database of people who have posted stuff online. That is not so in the wake of the remarkable state of our country, in which, I don't know, tens of thousands of people, at a minimum, have been documented posting material online celebrating in some way the assassination of Charlie Kirk. This just in. If you post stuff publicly online, you can't by definition be doxxed. You've exposed yourself. You doxed yourself. So, for example, in the immediate aftermath of the assassination, he had a website. It was charliesmurderers.com that was established, and it encouraged people to upload postings of those celebrating Kirk's death for the purpose of exposing these evidently deeply disturbed people. And the backers of the site also made it clear that they intended to establish the largest firing operation in history. And so by Monday, you had nearly 64,000 submissions that had been uploaded before the site was taken down. And the backers then rebranded it as the Charlie Kirk Data foundation, most recently have been soliciting for email submissions suggesting that they'll be back up with a new website with vetted submissions. I don't know. We'll see what comes to that thing. There's no telling how many people could potentially lose work over that operation or whatever's going to come of it. And a lot had been made of it. But here's the thing. I Certainly don't endorse Cancel Culture at all. I also don't endorse the idea of intentionally attempting it to get people fired for posting stupid social media things. But at the same time, I do endorse personal accountability. Big believer in personal accountability. So if people posted these things, it's their choice and their decision. If someone decides to try to focus additional attention on what you already put out there for public consumption, that's on you. That's on you. If your employer fires you, that's also on you. It's not doxing. Just as many on the left immediately jump to the both sides. Both sides are to blame after Kirk's assassination. Now the left and their allies in the GSS news media, they're now trying to corrupt the accountability side of this conversation as well. They're trying to do it with Kimmel. They're trying to do it with people that have been suspended and fired for celebrating the assassination. They're trying to suggest that conservatives who speak out against Cancel Culture are hypocrites for potentially maybe even aiding job loss of those that are cheering on the assassination. But they're also actively trying to redefine what doxxing is as the COVID for their objectives. So it's a tactic. And all this really is straight out of rules for radicals. You know, never let a good crisis go to waste. But there is one very clear thing here, and that is that anyone who would publicly cheer the assassination of someone simply for speaking and believing what they believed in at best, is a deeply broken and troubled individual in need of intervention. And so at that point, you start thinking about Kimmel. How deeply broken and troubled of an individual is he who deliberately lies, who deliberately misleads and then turns the thing into humor and wants to bring however many long how many people along with him he can on that thing? That is a pretty disgusting place to be. Brian Mudd in for the Great One Muddle Ben.

Aaron Klein (36:46)

I mean he's just amazing. Fired for a lack of talent. That was the president and Mariel England today, so very successful trip over there with trade deals and like was talking about how disappointed he has been with Putin and how he thought that getting peace between Russia and Ukraine would be a lot easier than it's been. So you got all that going on no end in that insight. Talking about the hostages in Israel quite a bit today saying that it is critical to get them out standing against England and others who want to recognize a Palestinian state. Oh my gosh, there can never be a two state solution there President talking about how so their intelligence says that Hamas wants to put the hostages out there in, in front of their fighters to have them sacrifice that way. But yeah, we should recognize those people as a state. Right. I just Brian Mudd in for Mark Levin. We've been talking about Jimmy Kimmel in the misinformation age. And I was talking about personal accountability most recently. Whether we're talking about people who went online and cheered the assassination, celebrated the assassination of Charlie Kirk or whether we're talking about Jimmy Kimmel who demonstrably lied about it and then turned to try to turn it into some kind of like punchline. Personal accountability comes into this stuff. And I want you to just kind of look at it this way. As you had private companies that made the decision on Kimmel. It's understandable. It's understandable if you have people that are very disturbing in their behavior, if you have employers that opt for prevention because after all, think about this. Do you want the person who publicly cheers Charlie Kirk's assassination? Do you want them working next to you? How you gotta feel at work, you see these people, they're posting things online like, yeah, isn't this great, huh? And then they're your co worker that works right next to you. You probably don't want them educating your kids. You probably don't want them, I don't know, flying your family or protecting your president either. And so that's not cancel culture, run the muck. It's just simply a matter of common sense. And so what happened to Kimmel was simply a matter of common sense. But we'll see if that still ends up prevailing because, you know, it could always end up coming back here, too. Brian Mudd in for Mark Levin.

Aaron Klein (40:16)

If we are true to, to Charlie's memory, the number one thing that people will remember about Charlie Kirk is that he was a great advocate for the Christian faith. Your vice president, and no doubt about that. No doubt about that. Brian Mudd in for the great one, Mark Levin, who is in Israel and will be back very soon. And in the meantime, always a pleasure to be with you. Host the Brian Mudd show, my home station, WJNO in West Palm beach. And you can catch me at Brian Mudd Radio socially, you can catch the Brian Mudd show, my podcasts, wherever you get your podcast, would love for you to check it out. It's always an honor and a pleasure to be here with you. And for a lot of us, it's been a heck of a week. Plus, right? It's been a really emotional week. Plus. And so I want to talk to you a little bit about a spiritual journey in an assassination culture. I was thinking a lot early this week, really over the weekend, but tell you about something that happened here and you might think I'm crazy for a minute or two kind of getting into it, the time flies. It's been over a week since the assassination of Charlie. It also happens to Mark three days since my best friend, not named Ashley, my wonderful and talented wife, passed away. And I've had a little time to reflect on both and you know, the irony in life is that the more you know, the more you realize how little you actually know. And for me, a realization in recent years has been that, you know, for someone who's in theory, well informed, I'd like to think reasonably intelligent. Not great one territory, but, you know, I do okay. I've been woefully ignorant regarding life's most important task and the most important part of the journey. It should bend my faith. I think about how much time I spend every day researching stuff, working on stories, everything that goes into, you know, I hold two sides to stories, one side to facts, all that stuff every single day. And then how little time I ever allocated for my faith. It's like, oh, okay, so this is something I've been actively working on with the aforementioned wonderful and talented wife. Best wife ever, by the way. And some are going to think I'm silly for saying such a thing, but I mentioned my best friend, not named Ashley, passing away. It happened to be my Maine coon, Piper. And he was truly a gift from God who left this world too soon. He died of cancer. Woke up to this on Monday morning and my wife and I found out that we weren't able to have our own children the hard way. And so one day, out of the blue, I received an entirely unexpected call. It was a co worker that I had barely known. I think she had worked here for like three weeks. I talked to her a couple of times, nice, very nice. But didn't even really know her. Just moved to the area. And she calls me out of the blue and said that she had just picked up a kitten. And I was going to think she was crazy, but she just knew that it was meant for me. Now, as she went on to tell me she was driving home on a busy road, happened to be in Boca Raton, you know, South Florida, very, very busy area. And she saw what appeared to be a small animal that was thrown onto the side of the road from the vehicle in front of her. And she was horrified. So she pulled over to retrieve it and turned out to be a nearly newborn kitten. And as the owner of two large dogs, she knew immediately she was not going to be able to hang on to that kitten. She wasn't, but she said right then it just hit her and she had to call me because I was supposed to have this little kitten. At the time, we had a 10 year old tabby and we hadn't thought at all about taking on a new pet or anything. New kitten, but it was the weirdest thing as soon as she said, hey, this thing's meant for you, I knew it too. And my wife happened to be in Fort Lauderdale, which geographically is south of Boca, and we live close to West Palm, which is north of there. So it's a bit of a hike for me to get down to Boca to go get this kitten. But it was on her way, more or less coming back from work that day. So I, at first I told her she had to go pick up an important package, thinking that if I told my wife, just out of the blue side on saying, hey, there's this kitten you got to go pick up, she's gonna be like, no. But she didn't buy, so I had to tell her what she was going to pick up. But when I did, she went ahead, she went for it, and she brought that little guy home and we bought it at first sight. And shortly thereafter, we learned that our kitten was a Maine coon, probably no more than a couple weeks old when we got him. And we wanted him to have a friend. So we sought out a Maine coon rescue. And there are not a lot of Maine coons in South Florida, by the way, especially legit rescue places. So we had to drive a few hours to find our baby girl, Button and sweet little thing. She was even covered in fleas when we rescued her. But it didn't matter. She immediately climbed onto my wife's chest and wanted to stay there for nearly the three hour trip back home. So anyway, these two little kittens filled a void that had kind of been in place since, you know, the idea of kids wasn't. Wasn't a reality. And we became convinced, so we didn't end up with both of them by chance. And I told you, you're probably going to think I'm crazy here for a minute. And about now you're at that point going, why the heck are you telling me about your cats? I mean, come on, man. It's because they taught me to believe in something I didn't before. Very skeptical, probably cynical in many cases. They taught me to believe in and pay attention to signs. And having lost Piper, the. The sweetest little creature I've ever known. And I say that as an animal lover, a guy. I am that guy when it comes to animals. I love nature. I love animals, so I'm easy to win over. But this guy, sweetest little thing I've ever known. It's just something that had been on my mind, especially in the context of Charlie Kirk and what he stood for. And so it's important in Life that we look for signs when God is trying to work in our lives. You know, what I shared with you came to mind, because this was just over a day ago. I really started thinking about this. I had gone. I was doing my daily work, all the research I do. I literally had just gone through these stories. Headlines. Suspected CEO assassin scores win in court amid heightened security concerns. Feds uncover gaming chat room linked to Kirk assassination. TV anchor quits after network suspends her for honoring Kirk's memory on air. Singer loses 30,000 Instagram followers after comments on Charlie Kirk killing. And then there was this one that really took the cake. Assassination Culture poll shows about half of liberals believe killing Trump Musk justified. And I was like, holy crap. It's kind of like, yeah, so Happy Thursday, everyone. So I'm going through, and I'm doing what I usually do, which is taking all that in, breaking it down, analyzing it, getting ready to, you know, put it together for content purposes. And I'm like, wow, this is really messed up. Like, all of it. So here's the thing. All those stories have something in common other than being related to assassinations. It's the byproduct of a society that's turned its back on what matters most. So, yeah, the assassin who walked right up to the CEO of UnitedHealth and killed him in cold blood in New York. He had his terrorism charge dropped. And yes, while that was happening, there were disturbingly throngs of his supporters, often dressed as Luigi in the streets. How long ago would you have to go to find a time when the average American would be absolutely outraged if a CEO assassin were celebrated on the streets in this country? People dressing up to honor him. And I'm like, oh, yeah, yeah, look at those people. Oh, yeah, it's pretty good. To Luigi right there. That's where we are as a country. I mean, you start taking a look at that, and it's like, okay, well, the whole Kimmel thing begins to make more sense. I understand why there are people that thought there were five big beginning to understand why there are people that were celebrating Charlie Kirk's assassination. And yes, it became quite clear that discourse on discord involving Charlie Kirk's assassin was extremely disturbing. Raises additional questions about others in his group, including the assassin. Telling approximately 30 friends that he did it and that he was going to turn himself in. You know, that none of them actually did. You know, as we found out, and we heard this very early on, that it was the assassin's parents who did it, identified him in the photos, and the video released by the FBI and then confronted their son and facilitated him turning himself in to authorities. But a long window of time evidently went by from the time that the assassin told somewhere in the neighborhood of 30ish people that he had done it. And not one of them, not one of them thought that, you know what, this is really bad. I should tell the authorities. What does that say? Regarding the local TV anchor in Illinois who was suspended for her one minute tribute to honor the life of Charlie Kirk. How long ago and where would you have to go to find a TV network suspending an anchor who paid tribute to say, mlk? You go, hold on, you can't do that. There are no comparison between Charlie Kirk and MLK. Actually more than you realize. Did you know that MLK Jr happened to be the last non office holder who was a political assassination for his political influence? That's how you have to go back to 68 and MLK Jr find the last time a non office holder who held influence politically was assassinated in this country. And by the way, remember, MLK's message was extremely controversial in its day. And the story about this singer who lost tens of thousands of followers for posting a tribute to Charlie Kirk, it happened to be Christian singer Forest Frank. What does it say when followers of a Christian artist flee the singer for honoring the life of one of the most effective Christian messengers of his time? And as for the chilling assassination culture story, it highlights multiple research pieces from over the past year. From Rutgers, YouGov, NCRI painted a really disturbing picture. Super disturbing. For example, Rutgers found that for Americans identifying left of center under certain circumstances, up to 49% say, yeah, you know what, assassinating Elon Musk could be justified at some level. 55% say, yeah, do it in Trump. You could justify what? Oh, now we're into a whole different place where you take a look at two liberals that are next to you and statistically one of those two might be in a place where they could justify the assassination of Musk or Trump. What? No wonder, no wonder. All the celebrating online and man, what does that say about this idea of an assassination culture? So I don't know about you, but that piece leaves me horrified. Pick up there Next, Brian Mudden for the great one.

Aaron Klein (55:35)

That is not a both sides problem. My friend is dead because of left wing political radicalization. And if you want to cut that out, then be honest about it and look yourself in the mirror. Speak truth. Vice President J.D. vance it is not a both sides problem. Prime mud in for Mark Levin. And I thought Mr. Producer is going to think I was crazy about the cat story. I figured he'd be one of the folks was not mentioned Sprite. So yeah, by the way, talking about On Power, if you have not picked up a copy of On Power, you're not informed. You need to become more informed. So make sure you get yourself a copy of the book. By the way, if you are an animal lover rescuing Sprite, it's an oldie but a goodie. Was that back around 2007 or so? And so yes, this audience in particular, you know, Mark's love of animals and rescues in particular. And so I did think about that as I was coming out with my cat story. But anyway, talking about the assassination culture, some of the disturbing stuff we've all come across over the past week. Plus it's not complicated. You do have a lot of these networks on the left like you know, CNN or Insert here. They'll want to talk rhetoric on both sides. Was that the CBS Morning show to Kevin McCarthy like the next day. The rhetoric on both sides and Trump in particular. Oh my God, the people who want to go to Trump. You're talking about a man who was literally shot last year. And there's the the other time. The person's literally on trial right now over the second assassination attempt last year. And you want to talk about the president's rhetoric. Oh my gosh, these people. He was shot. But his rhetoric. Go fly a freaking kite to the rhetoric on both sides, people. But aside from the absurdity of the conversation, it's all based on a false premise. The problem it's not rhetoric from any side of the political aisle. You don't become that inherently broken inside simply due to rhetoric, political rhetoric. It's not the premise of the problem. Not the premise of the problem for effectively half of Democrats in this country to evidently believe that assassinations of people they don't agree with politically can be justified. There's something much more that's going on inside. Pick up there and take some of your calls next. I'm Brian Mudd in for Mark Levin.

Aaron Klein (59:30)

877-381-3811. The First Amendment protects a lot of very ugly speech. But if you celebrate Charlie Kirk, Charlie Kirk's death, you should not be protected from being fired for being a disgusting person. The vice president with Jesse Waters last night FOX News was on fire, had a lot of great material and the man is exactly right. Brian Mudd in for Mark Levin. And we're talking about a lot of things that have been broken, their spiritual journey and an assassination culture. And I talked a little bit about some of the eye opening stuff and self awareness for me that's come about over the last little bit, digesting everything that's been going on including the loss of my little Maine coon Piper and kind of putting things in perspective, but also the eye opening reality that we now live in a world where researchers have found that effectively half of those that identify on the political left under certain circumstances, like, yeah, you know, assassinating Musk or Trump, yeah, it's cool, could be justified. It just, it's actually worse, much worse than I realize. I guess Is, is what that is for me. So, you know, it doesn't matter who you are, by the way, if you happen to be on the ride and you're like, yeah, you know, they're assassinations of people I don't like, that'd be fine. I could see the justification that you're. If that's you, you're broken inside. It just had, by the way they studied that. They're just not that many people on the right who feel that way. So it's not complicated. I talked about the premise of this being false, the idea that it's a left to right thing, that it's political rhetoric that I get so tired about the rhetoric, because you don't go from rhetoric to, yeah, you know what I think? Whacking people, I think assassinations are fine. It's what happens when you remove God from the equation. When you remove God from the equation, evil fills the gap, period. And as our society and especially the left just continues to make up their own rules, continues to deny the Judeo Christian values that this country was founded on, just go against what God stood for every step of the way. What's going to take the place? What's going to take the place? So here we are just over a week removed from the assassination of Charlie Kirk. And the headlines are just as horrific today as they were on that day, just in slightly modified ways. I mean, because if it were one person who had done what they did to Charlie, that is an American tragedy. But then when you find out, oh, look at how many people are on board with this. And as we've seen with the celebrations and everything else, holy crap. And the Kimmel crap. And, and so, you know, my thought in all this is, what is it that Charlie would want for you to do? For that matter, what is it that that God would want for you to do? It's time for our country to turn back to faith. That's how you fix this thing, is that. Tone down the political rhetoric. That's not the issue here. People have gotten so far away from what actually matters. Turn back to faith. It's the only way this thing is ever going to change for the better. Let's go to SJB in Richmond, Virginia. Been patiently waiting on the line. Welcome to the show.

Aaron Klein (74:45)

Unfortunately, some from the dark corners of the Internet all the way to the Oval Office want to cherry pick which instances of political violence they want to condemn. Listen, doing that only further divides us and it makes it harder to heal. What in the world are you talking about, man? Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. So a little thing about this when they're talking about cherry picking which instances of political violence. Okay, so let me run this one by you real quick. We have had seven total attempts, six events that were assassinations over the past two and a half years. Of those seven instances, six were on the left, one on the right, one involving Minnesota's former House Speaker Melissa Hortman, her husband and her dog. Horrific situation. I don't recall anybody on the right saying, yeah, it's great or celebrating it. You seen any celebration? What did the president have to say about that? Was he like, yeah, cherry picking which instances of political violence? This is not a both sides kind of thing. This hasn't been a both sides kind of problem. And these people, I, I, they're so far, I guess they just count on their constituencies to be so stupid that they could actually blame Donald Trump in the name of political violence. Someone who was shot last year and had a second assassination attempt on him. They blame him. It just, it's unconscionable these people. And speaking of which, I had referenced research, a study that had been conducted by the Network Contagion Research Institute, Rutgers University's social perception lab, about political violence, about assassinations, in the tolerance for it. And ultimately, about half of folks on the left, they're like, yeah, you know what? I could see a circumstance where assassinating Musk or Trump is okay, so let me just break that down a little bit more for you. So what they did in the study, they took a look at individuals that identified as far left, liberal or slightly liberal, by the way. They did this on the right as well. There just wasn't much of it to be found. But the far left, liberal, slightly liberal, and then they focused on the views justifying assassinations. To give you an idea of how deeply disturbing the situation is on the political left, 13% view a potential Trump assassination as completely justified. Nine percent say the same for Musk, just unconditional. Yeah. Then you get 28% of the political left who see a potential Trump assassination as it could be somewhat justified, 20% about Musk. And then by the time you add in the qualifiers, there are certain situations where like, yeah, 55% will get to take out Trump in 48 months. Nothing to see there, right? Be right back.

Aaron Klein (80:59)

It's not a very happy thing to be standing in. All right, Brian Mudd in for Mark Levin. Mark is in Israel. We'll be back in the not so distant and be locked and loaded for you again. I host the Brian Mudd show home station WJNO in West Palm beach, and you can catch me socially at Brian Mudd Radio. Also the Brian Mud show podcast, wherever you get your podcast. And I have had a lot of stuff up till now that has been all part of the heavy news cycle, a lot of it that has been kind of chilling when we take a look at the research and the assassination culture out there. I did want to talk about the brighter side here for a minute because there is a lot of good news actually out there. You know, good news never prints as much as the negative stuff. And the negative stuff, when you effectively have half of the left that under certain conditions, like, yeah, I could see we're assassinating Trump and Musk. That's. Yeah, that. That. That seems about right. I mean, that is a deeply disturbing place to be in for this country. When you got effectively half of. Half of the country is like, yeah. Oh, boy. So the Charlie Kirk effect, as we take a look at the brighter side of things here, you know, in the grand scheme of this news cycle, you see what the positives are there. Take. You've seen so much of what's been happening at Turning Point all throughout the course of this week. I mean, the tributes, they're unbelievable. You've no doubt heard about the tens of thousands of requests for new chapters for Turning Point USA that have come in, by the way, totaling close to 60,000 new chapter requests, most recently. That's in addition to hundreds of thousands of volunteer requests that have come pouring in. By way of comparison, you take a look at what Turning Point as an organization was preceding Kirk's assassination. Super impressive, right? Super influential, right? I mean, as J.D. vance said in that clip next to Trump, nobody did more to get him elected as vice president than Charlie Kirk in Turning Point. And yet Turning Point USA at the time of Charlie's assassination, had a total of 2100 chapters, fewer than 500 employees. Again, you're talking about just the request, and they're obviously not all going to translate into new chapters, but just the intent. Close to 60,000, hundreds of thousands of volunteer requests. I mean, that's massive. There is no doubt going to be explosive growth at Turning Point because of this incredible interest. And so it leaves little doubt that Turning Point will soon have a far larger presence, a far greater influence than ever before. Earlier today, Erica Kirk was unanimously named by the board of Turning Point the new CEO. So she is officially at the reins. I mean, her speech last Friday, one of the most incredible messages, one of the most incredible presentations that I have ever seen. She's going to be an unbelievable force. And with all this support. Holy cow. So stand by. But also importantly, one of the. I was talking about last hour. The spiritual part of all this and the brokenness has nothing to do with rhetoric, because left, right, rhetoric, I think about this. You take a look all throughout our country's history. I mean, the Founding Fathers were fighting with each other endlessly. They weren't all on the same page about things. Very difficult. Political discourse has been part of everything. We used to have fights in Congress. We had. Speaking of assassinations, you had members of Congress. There have been 12 members of Congress that have been assassinated. Most of them, you know, in the early years of our country's history, there ended up being a rule that you could no longer take guns into the Capitol because, you know, stuff happened. And so it's nothing new. It's very easy to get wrapped into recency bias when it comes to, you know, political rhetoric. And, oh, things are worse than they've been. I always point to the Civil War, no matter how bad you think things are left to right in this country. I mean, we literally fought a war against ourselves in this country. So they've been much worse, I assure you. But I will say that I'm not seeing anything so deeply disturbing in modern American history as what I'm seeing where you have this assassination culture that is pervasive on the left. And the only way you're going to fix something when you have somebody that believes that an assassination of somebody they don't like politically is an acceptable thing, the only way you're going to fix that is by fixing what's broken inside of that person. And the only way that's going to happen is that they turn back to faith, turn back to God. And that ultimately was Charlie's biggest thing. Right? He said himself, if he wanted to be remembered as one thing, that's what he want to be remembered for, is his faith, his Christian faith. So about that. We are seeing the surge not just with Turning Point, but we're seeing the surge in pews, too. So here we are. We've got a full week worth of information where a full week passed, the assassination and churches across the country continuing to see increased attendance, especially from young adults and teens. The Catholic News agency specifically reporting 15% increases. 15% increases. Okay, so what does that look like now? To put it in perspective, when do you think it was? How far back do you have to go? What would be the most recent event that would be comparable, that would lead somewhere in the neighborhood of, say, 15% more people to church? Well, that would be post 9 11, when the Pew Research center measured church attendance rising by an average of 16%. 16%. Again, we're getting reports here coming out the first week at 15. So I think this comparison helps add some additional context to the Charlie Kirk effect in this regard. I mean, across this country, but also, for that matter, around the world. And so when you think about this having the impact on people from a point of faith that is analogous to 9 11, I mean, that shows you the gravity of the situation. It's big time. And so, yeah, with the notable surge being with commonly the youngest demographics, young adults and teens, there's a lot there that you can feel good about. In a new study. This was interesting. It was released just days before Kirk's assassination. This study from the Barna Group came out on September 3rd. So it's just over two weeks ago this thing came out. Their State of the Church initiative dropped, and they had a bombshell that Gen Z and Millennials are now the most regular churchgoers in the country. Again, preceding the assassination, Gen Z and Millennials. And so flipping the script on the whole idea that, hey, you know, it's always, you know, the parents that are more likely to be going to church. Well, here's the deal. Gen Zers in the study were found going to church. An average of 1.9 times per month, millennials 1.8. That is about double for both of those generations where it was five years ago. Double. And Gen X hanging in there, same as Gen X has been at an average of 1.6 visits per month. And then you get into boomers and elders, the least likely to attend an average of 1.4 visits. I mean, for most people, it's probably exactly the opposite of what you would think that literally the younger you go, the more likely they are to seek a closer connection to their faith. That's really interesting. The shift is real. So younger folks already showing a renewed interest in faith. And by the way, in the study, they found that churches that lean into relationships, especially with digital tools like social media, it's where the biggest gains are coming in. But it's the first time in American history the younger generations are the most interested in connecting with their faith and far more than older generations. And again, that was prior to the Charlie Kirk effect. Now, he may very well have influenced this heavily his worth through turning Point, but that is prior to the assassination. And then you take a look at and oh, by the way, we're getting like 911 style increases. And the biggest increases are coming with the younger generations. And that really begins to paint a picture, doesn't it? And on a personal note, I've received notes to this effect from listeners that have told me they're reconnecting with their faith. You know, I've had folks that told me, hey, you know, I'm seeking out a church for the first time. So I see this even anecdotally. And so, yeah, Gen Z and millennials now the most regular churchgoers in the U.S. it's a pretty remarkable thing. I'll pick up there next. Brian Mudd in for the great One, Muddy.

Aaron Klein (93:41)

I really do hope that the person who murdered Charlie Kirk eventually accepts that what he did was evil and terrible, but we still got to have justice anyway. Yeah. Once again, Vice President J.D. vance. And as we take a look at what we're seeing in the wake of the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the Charlie Kirk effect. It's real. It's real. And the time for this is ripe. If you're just joining us, pretty remarkable thing that Gen Z and Millennials are now the most regular churchgoers in the US and by the way, that was actually before the assassination of Charlie Kirk. And then we've seen another big surge in churchgoing by the youngest generation in particular. And so you start to put this together. It's like, all right, well, this is definitely something that Charlie would want to see. So here's the next piece of this. Not only good for their, their souls, you might say, but also for society. So it should come as no surprise, but studies consistently show that there is a correlation between regular church attendance and lower rates of violent crime. Not saying that there aren't people that won't, you know, kneel at a pew and then walk out and do something really awful, but they're a lot less likely to. So, for example, a study in Social Science Research found that individuals who frequently attend religious services are far less likely to engage in criminal behavior, especially violent acts. 20 to 30% lower likelihood of committing any crimes, and a little bit higher when it comes to violent acts. So you want to knock down crime by 20 to 30%. Get people to connect with faith. Get people in church. As was stated in the Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, religious involvement fosters social bonds and moral frameworks that deter criminality. Okay, makes sense. And for years I've shared, including on this show, guesting for the Great One, the connection to faith and mental health outcomes based on Harvard's groundbreaking research. This came in in 2018. This showed that by the age of 20, those who are raised with religious practices were, on average, 18% happier, 30% more likely to help others, 33% less likely to engage in substance abuse, among a whole host of other things. And what was more in in the Harvard study is that those who fared best were those who prayed daily. In other words, having Faith in one's life and any capacity, being raised in that kind of environment and with that being part of the picture provided benefit. And then the more involved with one's faith was, the greater the benefit. I mean, it stands to reason, right? Especially if you're a person of faith, this most sensible thing in the world you've heard. So no real surprise. But then you start taking a look at what's happening here. You start taking a look at the Charlie Kirk effect and you begin to see the real positives in this thing. Because, okay, so we have this surge in attendance that is analogous what we've seen so far, that's been measured to what we saw after 9, 11, but we're also seeing it in the youngest generations of adults. We were seeing that before the assassination. Boy, that is especially encouraging for the future of our country. And you begin to take a look at what might be happening with those that maybe haven't dented the doors of a church yet. But if you've seen that kind of surge in interest in going to church, how many people are taking a look at, hey, what is this all about in the first place? You gotta imagine that has been growing too. Brian Mudd in for Mark Levin.

Aaron Klein (99:39)

Oh. Oh my gosh. First of all, he's nowhere near as good of an actor as Sparty is as Cory Booker New Jersey senator, that being Chuck Schumer. But I mean the fake, the faked outrage there, it's just, it is hilarious. Oh my gosh, talk about he goes in the bucket to where he, he's not believable as a person on this planet. It is just, it is so laughable that guy as they are pretending to be the free speech crusaders now. They're, they're just, they're so horrified by, by, by Kimmel getting axed by companies that were making corporate decisions just and the projecting it is the people who brought you cancel culture, the people who weaponized federal government agencies, the people that tried to silence you, that tried to put you out of a job. All these oh my gosh, no conscience those people Talk about some people that need a dent. The door for church now Brian Mudden for Mark Levin, great one in Israel. He will be back in the the near future. And in the meantime you can brush up on your reading with On Power. If you don't have a copy yet, shame on you. You can correct that right now by going to your favorite bookstore, going to Amazon, whatever, just On Power. Go ahead and get your copy and become more informed that way. When Mark gets back, you're ready to go. Now as we take a look at you know, kind of the context I was going through the Charlie Kirk effect and some of the real positives and even how, you know, what we have seen here is analogous from a church going standpoint to what we saw after 9 11. Pretty remarkable thing. Some historical perspective for you when you take a look at the history of political assassinations in this country in our country's 249 plus year history. If we take a breakout of political assassinations that have taken place starting with the federal level, we have had four presidents that have been assassinated in American history. We have had four federal judges that have been assassinated. There have been eight diplomats assassinated and you have had 12 members of Congress that have been assassinated. Then you take a look at the state level. At the state level in our country's history, four governors have been assassinated, two state judges, three cabinet officials and 25 state legislators. And then all the way down to the local level, you have had 16 officials in various capacities within local governments that have been assassinated. Okay, so you got all those numbers there, right? Well just overview. You don't need to hang on to it. I'm just going to come back to one now. How many non office holders, influential non office holders were assassinated for political reasons. You know, the number that is four, the same as the number of presidents that have been assassinated or federal judges or governors. And so it really shows you how rare by comparison it has been and kind of the overall impact on this country those can have. And so if you take a look at the company that Charlie Kirk keeps in this regard, you go back to June of 1963, these are the other three you had Medgar Evers, civil rights activist who was murdered by a white supremacist. Next up, February in 1965 in Malcolm X, a black nationalist leader murdered by members of the Nation of Islam. Next up, April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. Of course, civil rights leader murdered by segregationists. Which also shows you something about the 60s in particular. There are a lot of similarities, the assassination culture of the 60s and what we have seen here over the past two and a half years. So Charlie Kirk, faith based conservative activist joins that company and if I'm looking at this thing from an optimistic perspective, I mean, how horrible the 60s were with all the assassinations that took place. I just mentioned the non office holders, of course, then you start getting into the office holders, like you know, Kennedy, both Kennedys, you know, sitting president, sending senator who was a presidential candidate, among others. And it was a horrible window of time, but the country was able to move beyond it. And for a long time we distance ourselves from that type of thing. And so, you know, here's to hoping you might say, praying that we're able to do a similar thing now in the social media age. Boy, that is, that's a much more difficult putt. But you know, perspective and these things can be key. All right, let's go to David. David in Michigan. Welcome to the show.