The Michael Knowles Show

Episode 1811 — Libs Demand ‘Sympathy For The Stabbers’ After Charlotte Train Murder
Date: September 10, 2025
Host: Michael Knowles (The Daily Wire)

Episode Overview

Michael Knowles dives into the aftermath of a murder on a Charlotte train—where a career criminal stabbed and killed Irina Zarutska—and skewers the mainstream left’s response, which he characterizes as prioritizing sympathy for the perpetrator over the victim. Using this event as a lens, Knowles critiques left-wing criminal justice policies, mainstream media framing, and points to perceived cultural and political double standards. The episode also addresses immigration, law enforcement profiling, community cohesion, and the latest Middle East developments, particularly Israel’s attack in Qatar targeting Hamas.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Charlotte Train Murder and Left-Wing Responses

(00:58–05:17, 06:05–10:30)

• Event Recap: A career criminal with 14 prior arrests stabbed and killed Irina Zarutska. The response from mainstream left media personalities focused on sympathy for the assailant, evoking "hurt people, hurt people" rhetoric.

  • Knowles calls out the emotional framing:
    • “We don’t know why that man did what he did. We don’t know how to deal with people who were hurting in that way.” — (01:23, quoting left-leaning pundits)
    • "Hurt people, hurt people. Won't somebody please think of the stabbers?" — (01:32, Knowles mocking the sentiment)

• Double Standards in Sympathy:

  • Knowles contrasts the left’s response to this violent crime with its reaction to the George Floyd case. He highlights how left-leaning media figures like Van Jones strongly condemned Derek Chauvin without asking for understanding of his background or emotional state.

    “The idea that you could have a lynching… to have not just the officer do it, but three other police officers there and do nothing to intervene…”
    — [Van Jones, 05:17]

    “But what if Derek Chauvin was hurting… hurt people, hurt people, you know, come on, where’s your sympathy?”
    — [Michael Knowles, 06:05]

• Policy Critique:

  • Knowles argues that progressive criminal justice reforms—decriminalization, going soft on repeat offenders, relaxing bail laws, minimizing police activity—create the environment for such crimes.

  • He suggests the left’s platitudes (“hurt people, hurt people”) are insufficient to address or prevent violent crime.

    “The left established the conditions in which this sort of crime occurs and then ignores the crime when it happens.” — [Michael Knowles, 08:51]

• Common-Sense Approaches:

  • Proposes enforcing existing laws, holding repeat offenders accountable, and institutionalizing those who repeatedly offend or are a danger to society.

    “If someone gets arrested 14 times, you’re out. No more. You stay in prison forever or you’re really out of society.” — [Michael Knowles, 09:46]

2. Media Framing & The “Republicans Pounce” Narrative

(20:41–25:37)

• Shifting the Narrative:

  • Knowles points out media headlines focusing on how the Charlotte stabbing “fuels MAGA’s crime message” rather than the actual crime and its underlying systemic failures.

  • He explains the “Republicans pounce” media tactic, where coverage of Democrat failures shifts to how Republicans supposedly overreact.

    “The story is not even that 'hurt people, hurt people.' The story is that a stabbing fuels MAGA’s crime message. This is a version of Republicans pounce.”
    — [Michael Knowles, 21:26]

3. Law Enforcement, Profiling, and Community

(32:17–38:05)

• Supreme Court Ruling on Profiling:

  • Discusses SCOTUS overturning a federal judge’s order that would have prohibited ICE agents from using race, language, or location in identifying illegal aliens.

  • Knowles defends the need for reasonable profiling in law enforcement, distinguishing it from discrimination, claiming it’s a necessary tool for public safety.

    “The entire job of law enforcement is to profile… that’s what you’re hired to do.”
    — [Michael Knowles, 35:33]

  • Notes the absurdity of trying to deport illegal immigrants without being allowed to consider the most obvious clues of their status (language, location, type of work).

• Ramifications of Anti-Profiling Policies:

  • Ties the reluctance to profile to the rise in violent crime and repeat offenses.
  • Argues that refusing to enforce immigration or criminal law enables more preventable tragedies.

4. Political Rhetoric and Trump’s “Department of War” Tactics

(38:05–41:18)

• Trump’s Messaging on Crime:

  • Trump tweets provocative statements ("Chicago is about to find out why it’s called the Department of War") to bait media and then respond with measured, “common sense” explanations, thereby making his opponents appear unreasonable.

    “Be quiet. Listen. You don’t listen. That’s why you’re second rate. We’re not going to war. We’re going to clean up our cities… That’s not war, that’s common sense.”
    — [Trump press conference, 25:22]

  • Knowles praises this tactic:

    “He gets the attention and then they make him look reasonable. That’s smart.”
    — [Michael Knowles, 25:37]

5. Who is “the Community” and Who are “Constituents”?

(41:18–44:23)

• Democrat Rep. Yassamin Ansari’s Views:

  • Plays a clip in which Rep. Ansari defends regarding illegal immigrants as “constituents,” defining the term simply as “someone who is part of a community”—regardless of legal status.

    “It doesn’t matter what their legal status is… if somebody lives in the community, I represent them. Constituent does not mean voter.”
    — [Yassamin Ansari, 28:04]

  • Knowles ridicules this as shallow and symptomatic of a broader crisis of understanding what “community” means.

  • Discusses the importance of shared responsibility, culture, and legal status in true community membership.

    “An illegal alien… might physically be in this lady’s district… but that person is not part of the community.”
    — [Michael Knowles, 44:13]

6. Cultural Assimilation & Identity

(47:40–50:02)

• Dearborn Heights’ Arabic Police Patch:

  • Brings up the controversy over Dearborn Heights, Michigan’s proposal to add Arabic to local police patches—framing it as a sign of a lack of immigrant assimilation.

  • Knowles says such symbols expose deeper community cohesion issues, and, if nothing is done about assimilation, "at least show the problem honestly."

    “We are flooding the country with alien cultures that don’t assimilate. So show that to people.”
    — [Michael Knowles, 49:16]

7. Middle East: Israel’s Attack in Qatar

(50:03–end)

• News Recap:

  • Israel bombed Hamas operatives in Qatar, a U.S. ally and diplomatic outpost, allegedly with minimal notice to the Trump White House.

  • Knowles analyzes the official Trump and U.S. government responses, noting their diplomatic balancing act.

    “Netanyahu went rogue and blew up this place in Qatar and gave us a slight heads up, but that was it. So Netanyahu, come on, Netanyahu. And this is really bad. And the President feels terrible that Qatar had to deal with this… but it’s good that they blew up some of these Hamas guys and we need peace.”
    — [Michael Knowles, 41:18]

  • Plays Trump’s comment on lack of advance warning:

    “I’m never surprised by anything, especially when it comes to the Middle East… But I was very unhappy about the way that went down.”
    — [Trump, 42:40]

• Middle East Geopolitics Analysis:

  • Knowles suggests the attack may have been quietly coordinated or at least anticipated by U.S. and Arab states, as it aligns with evolving regional politics and growing impatience with Hamas.

  • Emphasizes the need for the war to end, both for humanitarian reasons and to reduce political division in the U.S. and Israel.

    “The war has got to end. And if that means pressuring Netanyahu, then you got to pressure Netanyahu. And if it means pressuring Hamas, what’s left of Hamas, you got to pressure Hamas.”
    — [Michael Knowles, 43:55]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Left-Wing Sympathy for Criminals:

“Hurt people, hurt people. Won't somebody please think of the stabbers?”
— Michael Knowles, 01:32

On Criminal Justice Double Standards:

“Not only to go after him, but to demand that he be imprisoned effectively for life… But then when it's a 14 prior-arrest, career criminal, lunatic vagrant… well, that's 'hurt people hurt people.'”
— Michael Knowles, 06:05–07:20

On Media Framing:

“The story is that a stabbing fuels MAGA’s crime message. This is a version of Republicans pounce.”
— Michael Knowles, 21:26

On Profiling and Law Enforcement:

“The entire job of law enforcement is to profile… Sometimes, even without rational processing, just on gut reaction and instinct.”
— Michael Knowles, 35:33

On 'Constituency' and Political Language:

“No, you’re not going to believe this, Michael. I googled it and it says a member of a community. So there. So there. Owned conservatives.”
— Michael Knowles, 44:20

On Assimilation and Community:

“We are flooding the country with alien cultures that don’t assimilate. So show that to people.”
— Michael Knowles, 49:16

On The War in Gaza:

“The war has got to end. …it has to end. But something tells me that what happened yesterday is part of that ending, orchestrated not just by the Israelis, but maybe in a little dance between the Israelis, the Americans, and even the Arabs.”
— Michael Knowles, 43:55

Important Timestamps

• 00:58: Main content begins — Charlotte train murder and left-wing response
• 05:17: Van Jones clip on Chauvin/Floyd case; Knowles’ analysis of selective sympathy
• 10:30: Soft-on-crime policies and their consequences
• 21:26: “Republicans pounce” narrative and media framing
• 32:17: Supreme Court and law enforcement profiling
• 38:05: Trump’s “Department of War/Chi-pocalypse Now” messaging
• 41:18: Rep. Yassamin Ansari on constituents/community
• 47:40: Dearborn Heights’ Arabic police patch controversy
• 50:03: Israel’s attack in Qatar, Trump admin reaction
• 41:18–end: Middle East geopolitical analysis, urgency to end the war

Summary

Michael Knowles’ episode is a sharp, unapologetic takedown of what he considers the left’s soft approach to violent crime and its damaging effects on public safety and social cohesion. Using the Charlotte murder as a central example, he rails against progressive platitudes, inconsistent sympathy for victims, and media manipulation of narrative. Knowles weaves these themes into broader critiques of criminal justice reform, selective law enforcement, the nature of community and citizenship, mass immigration, and assimilation. The episode concludes with a geopolitical analysis of Israel’s actions in Qatar and calls for an end to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The tone is confrontational, satirical, and occasionally biting, in trademark Knowles style.