Ask Charlie Anything 236: Salvage Chicago? Recess Appointmets? Catholic Converts?

Summary

The Charlie Kirk Show

Host: Charlie Kirk
Episode: Ask Charlie Anything 236: Salvage Chicago? Recess Appointments? Catholic Converts?
Date: August 25, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this "Ask Charlie Anything" installment, Charlie Kirk tackles audience questions on political and cultural flashpoints shaping America, including Chicago's crime crisis and prospects for federal intervention, mechanics and limitations of presidential recess appointments, ongoing election fraud issues, and the rise in Catholic conversions—especially among Gen Z. The episode is infused with Kirk's signature conviction, combative tone, and unapologetically conservative perspective.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Redistricting and Gerrymandering: Arms Race and State Responses

• [01:08–02:44]
• Audience member Matt raises questions about redistricting efforts in California and Indiana. Discussion follows on possible escalation between states and political parties, especially in the context of responding to aggressive gerrymandering.
• Kirk expresses concern about a “gerrymandering arms race” but acknowledges it may become necessary if Democrats continue aggressive redistricting:
  • Quote: “A gerrymandering arms race is not great for the country. But it might be necessary. And if that's where we go, we will not surrender. We will win such gerrymandering arms race.” (Charlie Kirk, [02:36])

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2. Election Fraud: Causes and Solutions

• [04:18–05:33]
• Gregory, a young syndicated columnist, discusses major election fraud scandals in Texas and ongoing national issues with absentee and mail-in ballots.
• Kirk emphasizes cleaning up voter rolls as crucial, identifying outdated or erroneous records as the "original sin" of faulty elections.
• Quote: “The voter rolls are the original sin of faulty elections. When you have people that have moved, when you have people that are dead that are still on voter rolls, you have to be able to clean it up.” (Charlie Kirk, [05:40])
• Kirk advocates for tighter regulation on absentee and mail-in ballots, referencing international precedents:
  • “We are being convinced by our Democrat masters and the masters of the media: you must have [mail-in ballots]… Mail in balloting is subject to massive fraud, massive issues and shenanigans the likes of which that none of us should be comfortable with.” (Charlie Kirk, [06:06])

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3. Recess Appointments and the Senate Confirmation Gridlock

• [08:19–13:41]
• Listener Jeff inquires about recess appointments and how congressional leaders could better empower a conservative President to fill administration roles.
• Kirk argues that recess appointments are unrealistic due to Senate procedural obstacles and advocates “nuclear” approaches to staffing the federal government:
  • “The more practical way… Blow past the filibuster… take one vote and confirm all 140 [nominees]. It is 100% constitutional. There’s no reason why we can’t do it in one day.” (Charlie Kirk, [10:03])
• He sharply criticizes the "blue slip" tradition, saying it grants Democratic senators unfair veto power and delays crucial appointments:
  • Quote: “Democrats… do not want to broker a deal. And this is what drives us insane.… Because we are always the ones that are honorable and trying to follow procedure. It’s Democrats who… punch you in the gut. Enough. Get rid of this blue slip disaster.” (Charlie Kirk, [12:45])

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4. Chicago’s Crime Crisis: Should Trump ‘Take Over’ the City?

• [14:45–25:40]
• Kirk wears his Cubs hat to signal his deep connection to Chicago and pivots to propose federal intervention in response to the city’s violent crime rates, echoing recent comments by Donald Trump.
• Kirk argues Chicago’s once-great status is now besmirched by "failed politicians" and staggering homicide rates, and federal action is necessary—up to and including task forces or even invoking the Insurrection Act if needed.
• He underscores the urgency with sobering statistics:
  • Quote: "Black residents in Chicago are 22 times more likely to be victims of homicide compared to white residents… Black and Hispanic Chicagoans making up 95% of homicide victims… It is an unspeakable tragedy." (Charlie Kirk, [17:30])
  • “If 1 in 10 black men have been shot by the age of 40, how is that not an emergency?... This is a great opportunity. It's a beautiful city with still wonderful people. It'd be good for tourism. It'd be good. It'd be a morale boost." (Charlie Kirk, [24:31])
• Kirk frames Chicago as a potent symbol for law and order strategy nationwide:
  • "If you could turn Chicago around, you could turn any city around. It is important symbolism… making America great again means making our Midwestern cities great again." (Charlie Kirk, [18:16])
• Memorable Moment: Kirk proposes a “federal takeover” as a dramatic test case and warns city and state leaders (Brandon Johnson, J.B. Pritzker) are “woefully unprepared” for impending intervention.

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5. Gen Z and the Rise in Catholic Converts

• [26:57–28:29]
• Listener Leanne segues from Chicago’s “spiritual warfare” to ask about the surprising rise of Gen Z Catholics, with some studies showing the share growing from 15% to 21%.
• Kirk attributes this surge to dissatisfaction with the “feminized” and sometimes politicized direction of evangelical Protestant churches, and a longing for the tradition, beauty, and order found in Catholic liturgy:
  • Quote: “The evangelical church has become very, very feminine… young men do not want to hear a sermon from a woman.… They want high church aesthetics. And evangelical Christianity has a certain vibe that not all people go for.” (Charlie Kirk, [28:42])
  • “I don't like to go to church in some that feels like a Home Depot or a Costco. I want to go to church in a place that's beautiful, with stained glass windows, that points us up, that challenges me, that lifts my soul, that, that makes me try to get closer to the transcendent. That is real and that will not change.” (Charlie Kirk, [29:32])
• Kirk urges evangelical leaders to take notice and reflect on how woke politics and lack of constancy repel young men seeking religious depth.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Gerrymandering Arms Race:
  “It will be very—I'm very curious to see how California is going to navigate this because they do have… the public measure… in their constitution… gerrymandering arms race is not great for the country. But it might be necessary.”
  (Charlie Kirk, [02:44])

• On Voter Rolls and Election Fraud:
  "Voter rolls are the original sin of faulty elections… you need to tighten the timeframe. Mail out fewer ballots… mail in balloting is subject to massive fraud, massive issues and shenanigans."
  (Charlie Kirk, [05:40])

• On Senate Gridlock and Blue Slips:
  "Get rid of this blue slip disaster. Chuck Grassley… You have to back off and realize the country and the institution and the tradition of the US Senate… is over."
  (Charlie Kirk, [12:45])

• On Chicago as a Conservative Test Case:
  “If you could turn Chicago around, you could turn any city around. It is important symbolism… Chicago has hit a gutter because of the failed politicians of Lori Lightfoot and of Brandon Johnson.”
  (Charlie Kirk, [18:16])

  “If 1 in 10 black men have been shot by the age of 40, how is that not an emergency?… This is a great opportunity… for tourism… a morale boost… I will do whatever I possibly can, Mr. President… for federal takeover of Chicago.”
  (Charlie Kirk, [24:31])

• On Young Men Turning Toward Catholicism:
  "The evangelical church has become very, very feminine… young men do not want to hear a sermon from a woman… young men feel challenged [in Catholicism], they feel called towards adventure."
  (Charlie Kirk, [28:42])

• On Evangelical Churches:
  "Evangelicalism is looked at as increasingly unattractive, unappealing, shape-shifting, not constant... the vast majority of young people I talk to are going to the Catholic Church."
  (Charlie Kirk, [29:55])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Redistricting & Gerrymandering: [01:08–02:44]
• Election Fraud & Voter Rolls: [04:18–05:33]
• Recess Appointments & Senate Obstruction: [08:19–13:41]
• Chicago’s Crime Problem & Federal Intervention Proposal: [14:45–25:40]
• Gen Z Catholic Converts & Decline of Evangelical Appeal: [26:57–29:55]

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Summary for Non-Listeners

Charlie Kirk uses this Q&A format to strongly critique current political processes (like gerrymandering, election procedures, Senate bottlenecks), and urban governance failures, focusing in particular on Chicago as a symbol of broader national issues. He details how Republican lawmakers should respond more forcefully and describes a vision for revitalizing cities through unapologetically aggressive federal involvement.

Kirk also notes cultural shifts: many young people—especially men—are gravitating toward the Catholic Church in reaction to what he sees as self-help, feminized, or politicized trends in evangelical circles.

For Kirk and his audience, the common threads are a desire for order, traditional values, and a no-apologies strategy to counter what they see as progressive overreach—in government, in cities, and in the church.

Transcript

[A]

Hey, everybody, Charlie Kirk here live from the Bitcoin.com studio Ask Me Anything episode. We take questions from you and also we talk about liberating Chicago, empowering federal law enforcement to make Chicago a livable, great city again and more. Email us, as always, freedomarliekirk.com and subscribe to our podcast, that is the Charlie Kirk show podcast page. Get involved today with TurningPoint [e-mail] that is tpusa.com Buckle up, everybody. Here we go. Charlie, what you've done is incredible here.

[B]

Maybe Charlie Kirk is on the college campus.

[C]

I want you to know we are lucky to have Charlie Kirk.

[A]

Charlie Kirk's running the White House, folks.

[D]

I want to thank Charlie. He's an incredible guy. His spirit, his love of this country. He's done an amazing job building one of the most powerful youth organizations ever created, Turning Point usa.

[A]

We will not embrace the ideas that have destroyed countries, destroyed lives, and we are going to fight for freedom on campuses across the country. That's why we are here. Okay, our first question here is from Matt. Matt, thank you for being a member. Members.charliekirk.com what's on your mind?

[C]

Hey, Charlie. Good afternoon here on the East Coast. Thanks for everything you do. I. My main question is around, you know, of course, redistricting, the question of the, you know, of the hour. Certainly with. With Newsom, and I gotta give him some credit, you know, I guess today was actually the last day that they could. They could produce the maps. Still not produced, but to get it on the ballot for November, so. Which is surprising given, you know, the. The California process. Usually it's funny, if Xi Jinping comes to town, they can clean San Francisco. If they got to do a power grab, they can get stuff done quickly. It's kind of funny how that works.

[A]

There you go. That's right. Yep. But that's a great.

[C]

Indiana. Indiana's letting us down, man. What's going on? Pence. Pence stepping in here. What's up?

[A]

Oh, is that happening? Is Pence also getting involved? Look, I mean.

[C]

Is the ghost of Pence Power Play Indiana still kind of working with us? I see Mark Shorts out there doing.

[A]

Interviews all of a sudden.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Is that right? What is Mark Short saying? I. I haven't. I've been following nine other different topics. What has Mark Short been saying?

[C]

Well, he was.

[A]

He was.

[C]

Did a long interview, like 15, 20 minutes with. With Mark Halperin, who I think is one of the, you know, the only real generalists left in the country.

[A]

Certainly, I Like, we love Mark on this program. Mark is great. Keep going.

[C]

And he, and he did a long interview with Mark Shore. You know, we understand or was part of the reason, you know, around the January 6th stuff, you know, the codification of the, of the big steel, which again, it's in many ways providential, but different story. But he's. Without going Trumpism and all this stuff. You know, they're still trying to play defense over here, and I just wonder if some of those, some of those sentiments are making their way through the halls of Indianapolis.

[A]

They should be. So I've sent out a couple tweets, and we're trying to do our best to pressure Indiana to respond in proper kind to this redistricting fight. California's gonna have a really tough time doing this, though. I think that we should not. If California does what California might do, then Indiana absolutely has to respond. However, I will tell you that there is this escalatory moment that Texas was rebalancing a terrible gerrymandered situation from Illinois and other states. But keep on escalating to other states. It's, boy, you're gonna have widespread gerrymanding, gerrymandering, and redistricting proliferation. And so it will be very. It will be very. I'm very curious to see how California is going to navigate this because they do have. They have the public measure, they have the ballot measure that passed. It's technically in their constitution. But generally, I think we should try to find an off ramp here because a gerrymandering arms race is not great for the country. But it might be necessary. And if that's where we go, we will not surrender. We will win such gerrymandering arms race. The. Thank you for being a member, my friend. Really appreciate it. Happy Friday, Gregory. Thanks for being a member. Members.charlie kirk.com. what's on your mind?

[E]

I don't know if you remember me, but I'm actually the youngest nationally syndicated columnist in the US we met at the attorney.

[A]

I do, of course, I know you, Gregory. Yes. In fact, I sent your information to our team. We might have you involved in a, in a panel at amfest, a breakout. But yes, what is on. What is on your mind, my friend? That would be great.

[E]

But really, the specific thing I want to ask you about is election fraud. So recently I uncovered a big election fraud scandal in the Southern Texas region in Webb county and Frio county, where there were like 15 Democrats who were arrested for like a ridiculous amount of election fraud, like ballot harvesting. It was insane. And one of Those people who were, who I connected to the incident was actually an indicted congressman, Henry Quailer, who currently is in the US House of Representatives, indicted on bribery charges on stealing $600,000 from a Mexican bank and an Azerbaijan oil company. So it's pretty insane. But basically when I uncovered this, I realized that there were significant election fraud incidents not only throughout rural America, but also like all around our country. And it stems from absentee ballots, mail in ballots. And I guess my question to you would be, how can we put an end to this election fraud? Because it's not realistic to say that, you know, we're not going to have any more mail in ballots or any more absentee ballots. No one's ever going to agree to that. So how can we do something about this?

[A]

Well, it has to be done one step at a time. And Gregory, you got a lot of passion on energy. I love that we can roll back absentee and mail in ballots. That's one thing that we can do. The other part is all about voter rolls. Voter rolls, voter rolls, voter rolls. That is a tougher thicket to navigate. But the voter rolls are the original sin of faulty elections. When you have people that have moved, when you have people that are dead that are still on voter rolls, you have to be able to clean it up. You need to tighten the timeframe. Mail out fewer ballots. Other countries have done it. France used to have mail in ballots and they got rid of them. You do not by default have to have mail in ballots. We, however, are being convinced by our Democrat masters and the masters of the media. You must have them. You can't change them. You must have them. Mail in balloting is subject to massive fraud, massive issues and shenanigans the likes of which that none of us should be comfortable with. Other countries used to have it and they reversed it. We need to look into all these murky databases, by the way, all the voter rolls. That is really the key. The fight is going to be all about who is on the voter rolls, who is getting this mass mail in ballots, who is scooping them up. Mail in ballots undermine the idea, by the way, of a secret ballot. But that's a key part. You should be voting in a booth. We don't know who's actually filling out this ballot. We do not. Because you can't sell your vote that way. When you have mass mail in balloting, you're opening it up towards scam rings, cartels, gangs, to be able to scoop up your ballot, purchase your ballot and do other fraudulent stuff alongside of it. You can sell a mail in vote, you can let someone else fill it out, etc. Gregory, thank you so much. Hope to see you at America fest, my friend. Amfest.com Making America Great Again starts with Making America Healthy Again. Charlie Kirk here. I lost 40 pounds with the PhD weight loss and nutrition program and two years later I haven't gained a pound back. I started the PhD weight loss program because I need to be healthy to keep up with my crazy schedule. Most people start a weight loss program to get healthier. So why is Big Pharma spending millions to convince you to use their weight loss injections that do just the opposite? They have harmful side effects and lifelong dependency. Take a natural approach that isn't connected to a Big pharma bottom line. PhD changes the way you think about food. They custom design a plan that is simple and works with your schedule. You'll learn to quiet cravings and finally release the unhealthy belly fat. You won't be hungry and you'll never take medication. Call 864-644-1900 to schedule your one on one consultation or visit myphdweightloss.com that is myphdweightloss.com 864-644-1900. Jeff is next. Jeff, thank you for being a member. Members.charliekirk.com, what's on your mind?

[F]

Hi, Charlie. Before I get to my question, I just want to say your move to offer support to Mayor Adams is very smart and very practical. We've got to stop Mondami a hundred percent.

[A]

Yeah. And that's. And I want everyone to understand. Can I interject? I'm sorry, before your question. So not a lot. A couple dozen people emailing. Charlie, how dare you have Eric Adams on. Guys, this is purely pragma. This is pragmatic, okay? I'm not the chairman of Eric Adams fan committee. It's all about stopping Mamdani. And if you are not practical or pragmatic and you're just purely ideological on this stuff, you're going to end up with a Mayor Mamdani. I understand the frustration though. Eric Adams is. Guys, he's going to be infinitely better than this uppity Islamist Marxist that wants to take over New York. So I completely appreciate that and agree. Jeff, sorry I cut you off. Keep going.

[C]

That's great.

[F]

I want to talk about recess appointments. And to me, Speaker Johnson and Leader Thune have betrayed the President in not having a formal recess. And it's my understanding, I don't really understand it. I'm not an attorney, but there's some mechanism by which president, if Speaker Johnson will reconvene the House, that can trigger something that allows President Trump to take control of the situation so he can put in recess appointments. Do you know anything about that?

[A]

Yeah. So I would not focus too much on recess appointments for a couple of reasons. The first of which is that it requires both Houses to gavel out, and the Senate's not going to do that. I've spent a lot of time on this. I don't want to spend, like, too much of our valuable dialogue here. Just we needed to kind of just dismiss recess appointments. The more practical way is the U.S. senate didn't work all August. They gaveled out and they still had somebody that were still kind of keeping it in procedural ways. And we have 140 of Trump's nominees that are still waiting. Here's what needs to happen. Two things need to happen. Number one, we need to go nuclear in early September. We need to blow past the filibuster. We need to blow past all this and do simultaneous. And take one vote and. And confirm all 140. It is 100% constitutional. There's no reason why we can't do it in one day. Trump can get all 140 people in. You literally submit into the Senate record. We are voting on all 140 of Trump's nominees. Boom. End of story. Get it over with. The second of which you do it as a package. It is a package vote. The second thing that you do is you get rid of this blue slip thing. The blue slip thing is beyond annoying. It is actually undermining of all the great work that President Trump wants to do. So, for example, in Arizona, in California, in Washington, in Oregon, in Georgia, in Delaware, in Rhode island, in New York City, the. You are not able to get a Republican U.S. attorney if a Democrat objects to it. Literally, it's not allowed if a Democrat objects to it. And a Democrat senator. So Democrat senator has a veto power over the will of the president. Get rid of blue slips, Chuck Grassley. I have enormous respect for you, Chuck Grassley. I think you've done a lot of good and a lot of stuff. You are totally wrong on this, Chuck Grassley. You have to back off and realize the country and the institution and the tradition of the US Senate that used to exist, that is over. Okay? And so I will say, though, that the will of the people gave President Trump this mandate. The will the American people gave President Trump. Hey, we want a Good US Attorney in Maine. We want a good US Attorney in Minnesota. Right now. Democrat senators are going to prevent the Department of Justice from being staffed. Our system is so broken and so flawed, it is now taking more than a quarter of a four year term to staff up administration. Think about that. One fourth of the entire government, one fourth of the entire term is just stolen from Trump. Chuck Grassley needs to come the terms. The country is different. The Democrats have armed up. They do not want to broker a deal. And this is what drives us insane. Do you want to know why the Republican base is so fired up? Do you want to know? The Republican base is so angry about this? Because we never do this to the Democrats. Because we are always the ones that are honorable and trying to follow procedure. It's Democrats who need to accept this is the problem. It's not Democrats who need to accept things are different. It's Republicans. We are the ones as Republicans who far too often, well, you know, we need to not do this. They did it to us, they're doing it to us. You need to respond in kind. We gave Joe Biden his entire administration. We could have done this to Joe Biden. We decided not to. We decided not to muck up the gears and we decided to give Joe Biden his cabinet. We decided to give Joe Biden his ambassadors because we're better people, because we take the high road, because we're virtuous. Well, no, we're suckers actually, is what we are. And the Democrats are the ones that are like, oh, you take the high road, I'm going to punch you in the cojones. You take the high road, I'm going to punch you in the gut. Enough. Get rid of this blue slip disaster. Chuck Grassley, I say this with a ton of respect. You're a rock star. You are wrong on this. Get rid of the blue sip. Gentlemen, let's get real for a second. Are you frustrated with today's woke dating apps? The apps, the games, the endless swiping. It's a waste of time. Finding a woman who shares your values, faith, family and patriotism feels nearly impossible. But it doesn't have to be. Selective search. America's leading matchmaking firm is changing the game. They connect strong, successful men like you. Men who love God, love America and want a family with incredible women who share your values. These are intelligent, faith driven women who put family first and still believe in traditional values. Imagine that if you're a single conservative man in the late 30s to early 50s in Southern California. Listen up, selective Search has an exclusive network of women ready for the real thing. Here's the best part. Their candidate program is 100% free and confidential. Some of my closest friends have used Selective Search and let me tell you, they're meeting incredible women. This is your chance. This is not an app. It's your answer. The perfect conservative woman is out there waiting for you. Visit selectivesearch.com california today. Let the professionals introduce you to women already looking for someone like you in Southern California. Don't wait for the perfect moment. Take action now. Go to selectivesearch.com California and start building the future you deserve. Before we go to Leanne, a great member of ours. Members.charliekirk.com let's further make the case Chicago. Chicago has probably the greatest potential of any American city. As I'm wearing my Cubs hat, I'm wearing the Cubs hat for a reason, because President Trump said Chicago might be next. Chicago is a beautiful city, incredible location. I went to Wrigley Field the other day. It was an awesome experience. My parents were there. I was there with my wife, and I was even able to push some of the buttons in the Wrigley Field scorecard. I got to tell you, I've been to a lot of baseball games. I've gone to Wrigley my whole life. There is just something so special that is so real, that is so magical, that is so somewhat spiritual about going to Wrigley. So many of these fields you go to, I mean, I mean, here in Dallas, you go to Jerry Stadium. He did a phenomenal job with Jerry Stadium. But it feels resolutely corporate. It just does. Wrigley Field has a historical feel to it. And Chicago as a city, as a, as a center of industry and infrastructure has the greatest potential of any American city. President Donald Trump has said this. That's where I'm. That's why I'm wearing my Cubs hat. Let's play cut 532.

[D]

And after we do this, we'll go to another location and we'll make it safe also. We're going to make our country very safe. We're going to make our cities very, very safe. Chicago is a mess. You have an incompetent mayor, grand, grossly incompetent. And we'll straighten that one out probably next. That will be our next one after this. And it won't even be tough. And the people in Chicago, Mr. Vice President, are screaming for us to come. They're wearing red hats just like this one, but they're wearing red hats. African American Ladies, beautiful ladies are saying, please, President Trump come to Chicago. Please, please.

[A]

Chicago averages about 500 murders a year, 573 murders a year last year in 2024. Chicago has a ton of housing. It's an affordable city, but people don't like to live there because it's dangerous and has sky high taxes. If we fixed up the city and made it more appealing, more people could move there and more working residents would improve the economy. You go a level deeper to Chicago. Chicago was America's second city for a long time. Has incredible Art Deco architecture. It's like New York. It's a historic city. It's culturally rich. It's right by the lake. Lake Shore Drive is one of the most incredible drives in America from the Art Institute of Chicago to Millennium Park. I think President Trump needs to do everything he possibly can to bring in federal forces. Now. He doesn't have as much flexibility as he does in D.C. because of the home rule issue. But what a test case. If you could turn Chicago around, you could turn any city around. It is important symbolism. And I could tell you someone who grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, I could not be more excited about this. I could not be more enthusiastic because Chicago has hit a gutter because of the failed politicians of Lori Lightfoot and of Brandon Johnson. Hey, maybe the Bears will stay in Chicago instead of going out to Arlington Heights. Would actually support them going out to Arlington Heights. That's a separate issue. Black residents in Chicago are 22 times more likely to be victims of homicide compared to white residents. The disparity is stark with black and Hispanic Chicagoans making up 95% of homicide victims from May 2023 to April. April 2024. It's a disgrace. It is an unspeakable tragedy that one of America's great cities of the 1950s is now a dangerous dump. And it is. It's not the same city that I remember, but it can be made great again. It needs that positive, optimistic, solution based vision. We have a communist mayor named Brandon Johnson. He has no idea what he's doing. This is what I love about President Trump is doing. It can't get much worse. Do you want to talk about buy low and sell high? Chicago? It can't get much worse. It is in the gutter of the gutter. It's as low as it gets. Additionally, a study published in JAMA Network Open found that that by age 40, 7% of black and Hispanic participants had been shot, 7% had been shot. According to a study published in the JAMA network. The schools are failing. All that Trump can't necessarily fix immediately, but he can make a difference with public safety. Here's what he can do lawfully. He can surge federal agents. Expand atf, FBI and USMS task forces. Go after carjacking gang cases and route them all up to federal cases where appropriate. Project safe neighborhoods and enforcement zones also go down on this fugitive carjacking crackdowns. U.S. marshals. Flood the zone with U.S. marshals. An emergency backstop if necessary. Declare the Insurrection Act. Insurrection Act, 10 U.S.C. 251253 allows limited federal troop deployment and as extreme last resort. But I don't think that should be off the table. Chicago has become more dangerous than third world cities and it's working in D.C. could you imagine if you're able to say in one week in Chicago, there's not a single murder, it's unheard of. Not a single murder in D.C. for a week. The D.C. template can now be scaled. Making America great again means making our Midwestern cities great again. Revive Chicago, revive Detroit, revive Minneapolis. Okay, that might be tough. That's a third World Somali slum. A city has a death wish. However, Chicago. I was just there at the Cubs game. There are so many great Chicagoans. Chicagoans are hardworking. They are that lunch pail class. Now, D.C. is pretty small. Chicago is a beast, but it can be done. I think deep down, the people of Chicago, you. Yeah, I mean, yell at the metrosexual libs out there screaming, oh, Trump's invading our city. Ignore them. I know the working class of Chicago very well. They're the Ditka debears types. They are the guys that are garbage truck operators. They are plumbers, they're mechanics. It's the hardest working city in America, and we are sick as Chicagoans, as I am a native Chicagoan, of seeing our great city become the laughingstock of the entire nation. It would be a massive morale boost and as a symbol for the rest of the nation to be able to say, we turned around Chicago. And by the way, Brandon, just wait. You are now going to see, and this is awesome. You're gonna see it all exposed. Brandon Johnson and J.B. pritzker are going to fight Donald Trump here. Brandon Johnson and J.B. pritzer are gonna fight Donald Trump of his federal takeover of Chicago. They are gonna flip out. Even though it's worked in D.C. do you notice the D.C. thing is such a success? What is their criticism? Oh, I don't like seeing tanks on my streets. Oh, well, do you like not getting Shot in Chicago. Liberate Chicago's Grant park neighborhood. Liberate the west side. Liberate the Gold Coast. Liberate. By the way, you know who else? You forced the issue here. Let's get some Barack Hussein Obama commentary on this. Take over DC and then someone put a microphone in front of Obama's face. Mr. Obama, you never did this when you were president. Obama oversaw the death of young blacks in Chicago and could not have cared less. Chicago is so big and so murderous that if you can even drop its murder rate in half, you would be dropping the national murder rate by more than 1%. Let me say that again. Chicago is so big and so murderous that if you could drop its murder rate in half, you'd be dropping the national murder rate by more than 1%. And by the way, just throw out some of those black shooting statistics to Brandon Johnson. Brandon Johnson's a moron. He's not a smart person. He's a Marxist. He's not bright at all. You're dealing with a very, very low bar. You got J.B. pritzker. I love this first. I mean, I can't stand these people. I want President Trump to do everything he possibly can. I'm going to. I'm going to talk to him. I'm going to say, Man, Mr. President, I'm 100% behind you. Whatever you need to do a federal takeover of Chicago and make this a test case, I will do whatever I possibly can, Mr. President. I'm going to. I'm going to. I'm going to probably shoot him a message later on. Black men have a cumulative incidence of being shot in Chicago of 11% by age 40. That means 1 out of 10 black men have been shot by the time they reach 40 in Chicago. In Chicago, one out of 10 black men have been shot by the age of 40. That's in Chicago. This is a great opportunity. It's a beautiful city with still wonderful people. It'd be good for tourism. It'd be good. It'd be a morale boost. And this is what's so great. If we ignore our cities, we are nothing more than a movement in the hinterlands and the outskirts. You need to go straight into the central nervous system and, boy, seize the opportunity. This is the brilliance of President Trump's team. Some people say, oh, he's doing too much, he's not doing enough. We need a role that's in a Chicago and San Francisco and Los Angeles. Chicago is the perfect prerequisite because you have this do nothing unpopular Mayor Brandon Johnson. Is booed by his own people when he goes and he spoke at some homosexual concert or something and people are just, you know, screaming at him. Gangs rule much of the city. I'm telling you, you bring in the U.S. marshals, you bring in the FBI, you bring in the tanks, those little pop shots and those cross shootings, they are going to calm down dramatically is all they understand. Criminals are short term thinkers and all they understand is a bigger gun and more force. Man, this is, this is like a once in a lifetime opportunity. I've been waiting my entire political career for someone to care about Chicago. Oh, I'm sorry. It's even worse than that. 12.5% of black men in Chicago will have been shot by age 40. 12.5%. That's thanks to Brandon Johnson, black mayor. Lori Lightfoot, black mayor. At some point you got to say, you guys are terrible. This is an American city. Chicago is not in, it's not in Alberta, it's not in Mexico. You are in the United States of America and we are invoking full and complete control. And how great sweet irony that President Trump takes over Chicago a year after the DNC was actually held in Chicago. Just think, that's just beautiful irony. And JB Pritzker, get out of the way. Enough. Everything about you is an insult to us, Brandon Johnson. We're going to fight. You don't care about Black Death, Brandon Johnson. If you did, you'd do something to stop it. You know, who cares about Black Death? President Trump does in Washington D.C. black Death. Not a single black has been killed in the last week in Chicago. Declare a national emergency. Flood the zone with atf, FBI, take, have an entire task force make Chicago another test case. One. Hold on. I just want to be. If anyone, like, thinks I'm wrong here. If 1 in 10 black men have been shot by the age of 40, how is that not an emergency? Seriously, what is your argument? If 1 in 10 black men are shot by the age of 40, how is that not an emergency? That means if you have a, if you have a basketball team, if you have a basketball team at Simeon High School where Derrick Rose went, and it's 20 people on the basketball team, that means two of the people on that basketball team will be shot by the age of 40. Email us. As always, freedom charliekirk.com Sweet home Chicago. Take it over. Seize it. Roll in the tanks. Just like we said in D.C. Mr. Johnson, Mr. Pritzker, you are next and you are woefully unprepared for what is coming Law and order is coming and we will liberate my favorite city, Chicago. 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[B]

Hi Charlie. Not to change the subject, but in order to segue into my question, I want to note that it is most certainly, as you're aware, spiritual warfare in Chicago. And the tone at the top theory is certainly true. But my question is actually regarding according to a Harvard study, which I don't really care for Harvard personally, but I'm curious to know your thoughts on this. A significant portion of Gen Z, as you're probably aware, identifies as Catholic. And the percentage of Gen Z is increasing from 15% to 21%. Some say that it is. They're finding a meaning in traditional religion. And albeit at the end of the day, I'm grateful for them to seek the truth regardless of the denomination. But I can't help but be curious of what is attracting them to the Catholic Church versus Protestant. Is it the. The tradition aspect of it and what does that say for the Protestant Church? Because I have my own personal feelings about Catholicism versus Protestant and my own personal beliefs. But my nephew, he is actually a perfect demonstration. He's in college right now and he's joined a Christian fraternity and really surprising my entire family with how much he is clinging to God. And I'm excited for him, but I'm just hoping to better understand or get your thoughts on it. Sure.

[A]

It's a great question. Well, first of all, thank you, Leanne. I've covered this a little bit in the past, but let me do my best. So first of which is it's great that they're going back to church. It's amazing that they're putting God first. I'm evangelical. I'm not Catholic, but I have great respect for Catholics and my wife was baptized and confirmed as a Catholic. And we'll, we go to Mass every so often. And I'm great friends with Father Klein who does a great job in Arizona. And I think the world of Catholics and I get a lot of heat for saying that. But understand that this is largely a failure of the evangelical church. The evangelical church has become very, very feminine. It's become an incredible feminized. And I don't just mean female pastors. That's part of it. But young men do not want to hear a sermon from a woman. They just don't. I know that might sound a little sexist, but they want to hear direction and order that points them up. They do not want a self help seminar. They want high church aesthetics. And evangelical Christianity has a certain vibe that not all people go for. The high church versions of Protestantism has fallen off hard and unfortunately too many of these churches have gone woke. They don't want to hear an emotion or feeling based. And the liturgy of the Catholic Church is very, very appealing and attractive to young men. It points you up. It is about self introspection, it is about being contrite for your sins. And also it is not just a TED Talk mixed with a rock concert. But I'm with you, Leanne. Probably theologically I'm an evangelical Christian Protestant, but I'm very moved by a lot of people going back to the Catholic Church. And honestly, I don't disagree with some of it. I've said this before and some people don't like it. I get hate mail. I don't like to go to church in some that feels like a Home Depot or a Costco. I want to go to church in a place that's beautiful, with stained glass windows, that points us up, that challenges me, that lifts my soul, that, that makes me try to get closer to the transcendent. That is real and that will not change. That is everlasting, that is not going to just move with the culture, but will stand against it. And so I've talked to a lot of pastors about this. They really aren't, they don't really understand what's happening. But I look at some, but not all, but some of the leaders in the evangelical church, like Russell Moore and Rick Warren, and I can see, I can see why kids are leaving. They're arguing for open borders, BLM vaccine mandates increasingly so many members leaders in the evangelical church are all about gay pride flags. You know what the Catholic Church, they're great on marriage, they're great on family, they're great on abortion, they're great on not kids, not getting transgender surgeries. So young men feel challenged, they feel called towards adventure. And the revival largely is happening amongst young men more so than young women. But evangelicals need to take note. Evangelicalism is looked at as increasingly unattractive, unappealing, shape shifting, not constant. And I hear all the feedback from young men and I can tell you the vast majority of young people I talk to are going to the Catholic Church and they are really not convinced by much of what is being presented in the modern Protestant world. And I say that as an evangelical Christian. Thanks so much for listening everybody. Email us as always for [e-mail] thanks so much for listening and God bless. For more on many of these stories and news you can Trust, go to charliekirk.com.