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The President's Daily Brief
September 15th, 2025: The Sick Online Life Of Charlie Kirk’s Killer & Russia Breaches NATO Skies Again
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- [00:01]
Mike Baker
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- [00:30]
Narrator/Host
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Ukrainian President Zelensky warns that the latest breach shows that the war is spreading. Plus, President Trump says he will not impose new US Sanctions on Russia unless NATO allies first cut off their purchases of Russian oil. And in today's back of the brief, the UN General assembly votes overwhelmingly for a two state solution declaration, while also condemning Hamas, managing to both call them out and hand them exactly what they want all in the same breath. But first, today's PDB Spotlight. We're learning more about what Tyler Robinson, the alleged killer of Charlie Kirk, was doing in the immediate aftermath of the assassination. And much of it centers on his online activity. First, the latest news. As a brief recap, Robinson was arrested this past Thursday about 33 hours after the murder of Kirk. According to a probable cause affidavit, he was taken into custody on suspicion of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, causing serious bodily injury and obstruction of justice. Robinson is expected to be formally charged on Tuesday. Now, family members described the 22 year old as, quote, very quiet, someone who largely kept to himself. But they also say he had become, quote, more political in recent years. In Ways that diverge significantly from his more conservative family. He'd also expressed particular interest in Kirk's visit to the Utah Valley campus. Now, while his public life may have been muted, Robinson appears to have been much more vocal online. And it's there in the hours after he allegedly gunned down Charlie Kirk that we begin to see a disturbing picture of someone reveling in the aftermath of the crime. Robinson was part of a Discord group chat with roughly 20 acquaintances. Now, Discord is a popular online platform where users gather in private or public chat rooms to text and talk or share media. After the FBI released surveillance images of the suspect, one of his friends tagged Robinson's username with the message quote, wya, which is shorthand for where you at? Implying that the blurry images looked just like him. Robinson didn't push back. Instead, he leaned into the joke, replying that his, quote, doppelganger was trying to get him into trouble. Others piled on. Someone else in the group chat wrote, tyler killed Charlie. Robinson didn't deny it. In the chat group, he bantered right along with them. When another suggested turning him in for the $100,000 reward, Robinson replied, only if I get a cut. And then you ask yourself, did any of these gormless social media half wits on the group chat have any thought about maybe contacting the authorities at this point? And then the joking continued. One friend warned him not to stop at McDonald's, a reference to the high profile arrest of Luigi Mangione last year. The shooter of the healthcare executive. Robinson fired back his own dark punchline, I better also get rid of this manifesto and rifle that I have laying around, end quote. He followed the news coverage closely enough to comment on details like reports of ammunition engraved with, quote, trans stuff. Robinson noted the claims weren't confirmed by the FBI, but the fact that he tracked the reporting in real time shows how invested he was in the unfolding manhunt. At one point, Robinson even joked, quote, I'm actually Charlie Kirk. Wanted to get out of politics, so I faked my death. Now I can live out my dream life in Kansas, end quote. Who are these people? Despite Robinson's online bravado, he ultimately was convinced to turn himself in. According to reports, Robinson first admitted to carrying out the assassination when confronted by his father. He reportedly told his father that he'd rather kill himself than surrender. Eventually, Robinson confided in a youth pastor who works with the Washington County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. marshals Service. A family friend contacted the sheriff's office more than three Hours away from the shooting scene. That office relayed the tip to Utah county authorities and the FBI, and Robinson ultimately turned himself in. Now, some members of his discord group reacted to the arrest with disbelief, despite them having bantered about Robinson being the shooter earlier. One wrote, quote, our governor wants to give him the death penalty, dude. Another admitted, quote, I truly cannot distinguish if this is for real, end quote. While these details highlight the way Robinson conducted himself after the shooting, authorities are also zeroing in on a potential motive. Investigators are reportedly looking at Robinson's unconventional personal life for clues. According to Axios, one possible motive stems from Kirk's outspoken views on transgenderism. Six sources told the outlet that Robinson was in a romantic relationship with a transgender partner. While Robinson himself is reportedly not cooperating with authorities, Robinson's partner is said to be cooperating with operating, handing over messages exchanged with him in the days surrounding the assassination. Axios is also reporting that investigators are looking into whether radical leftist groups in Utah played a supporting role. One unnamed group, according to the outlet, scrubbed its social media accounts in the hours after the attack, an action now drawing the attention of federal authorities. Well, the good news is nothing actually ever does disappear from the Internet. So they may thought they've scrubbed it, but no, they didn't. So as we piece together the puzzle of Tyler Robinson, we see a young man described as quiet in person, but more revealing online. Someone who could murder a high profile political figure and then spend the hours afterward cracking jokes and making inane, glib comments with his friends in a chat room. Authorities believe his political radicalization, his relationship dynamics, possibly even outside influences, may have all converged to make Charlie Kirk the target. And in the days ahead, prosecutors will begin to build their case. One in which Robinson's digital footprint will likely prove just as damning as the murder weapon. All right, before we go to break, a quick reminder about our brand new special podcast series, the Day the World Almost Ended. It's about as cheery a title as you're ever going to find. In this series, we revisit those moments in history when the world was just one decision. One move, one step away from nuclear war. And spotlight those who helped bring the world back back from the brink of global disaster. Episode one is already out and it's available exclusively for PDB Premium members. If you're not a member yet, it's simple. Head over to PDB premium.com and join us today. You don't want to miss this series. All right, coming up next, Russia violates airspace over a NATO country again. And Trump says no new US Sanctions on Russia unless allies first stop buying Russian oil. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now, you've heard me talk about the great company Jacked Up Fitness and their amazing all in one home gym, right? For home fitness, it's a game changer. Well, now I've got something else to tell you about from Don and his terrific team at Jacked Up Fitness. They know that many people are short on time and frankly short on money, but still want to get fit. So now hear this. You can start your fitness journey for under $60 and in just six minutes each day. And for those of you of a certain age, stand by for a blast from the past. Introducing the all new Shake Weight by Jacked up fitness. That's right, 15 years ago, the original Shake Weight shook the world. 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Just go to jackedup shakeweight.com Again, that's jacked up shakeweight.com hey, Mike Baker here. I tell you what, let's talk about plants. Well, let's talk about plants. And trees. Well, also bushes. Don't forget the bushes. And let's not forget shrubs either. Now, did you know that Fast Growing Trees. Fast Growing Trees is the biggest online nursery in the US with thousands of different plants. And get this, over 2 million happy customers. They have all the plants your yard needs. Fruit trees, privacy trees, flowering trees, shrubs and and really so much more. Whatever plants you're interested in, Fast Growing Trees has you covered. To get your dream yard delivered directly to your door, think about the time that saves you. This is a great company. And again, an amazing time saver. No more time consuming trips to the nursery, hoping to find something for your yard or your home. And this fall they have the best deals, up to half off on select plants. Even better, my listeners get 15% off of their first purchase. Just enter code PDB and at checkout that's an additional 15,1 5% off at fast growing trees.com with code PDB at checkout again fast growing trees.com code PDB Now's the perfect time to plant. Use code PDB to save today. Offer is valid for a limited time. Terms and conditions may apply. Welcome back to the PDB for the second time In a week, NATO's airspace was violated. This time when a Russian drone crossed into Romanian skies and yet another incursion that the Kremlin claims wasn't intentional. Romania, which shares a 400 mile long border with Ukraine, said the drone flew six miles into its territory on Saturday and loitered in NATO airspace for nearly 50 minutes before exiting Bucharest. Scrambled two F16s and residents in the southeast were warned by the country's Defense Ministry to seek shelter. Now I want to be clear. No damage or injuries were reported, but the incursion wasn't happening in a vacuum. It coincided with Moscow's drones hammering Ukrainian infrastructure along the Danube River. Ukrainian President Zelensky dismissed the idea of an accident in a post on X. He wrote, quote, the Russian military knows exactly where their drones are headed and how long they can operate in the air. The routes are always calculated and this cannot be a coincidence, a mistake or the initiative of some lower level commanders, end quote. Zelensky went on in his post to say that such repeated airspace violations mark a creeping expansion of the war, small steps toward potential full scale aggression against NATO members. Poland, still rattled from last week's Tuesday and overnight into Wednesday, unprecedented swarm of nearly 20 Russian drones into its airspace also moved to reassure the public. As our regular PDB listeners will recall, Warsaw was forced to shoot down some of the Iranian made drones scrambling jets alongside fellow NATO members in what was the first engagement of Russian UAVs over member soil since Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The episode underscored fears that the war could spill past Ukraine's borders. Belarus, the Kremlin's close ally, insisted the first violation last week was caused by NATO navigation jamming, forcing the drones off course. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned bluntly that, quote, a line has been crossed, calling the incident the closest Europe has come to open conflict since World War II. By Sunday, the Czech Republic dispatched a special operations helicopter unit to Poland, with Prague's defense minister framing the deployment as a direct answer to Russia's provocations along NATO's eastern flank. The Kremlin, of course, denied any intent. Russia's Defense Ministry claimed there were no plans to target facilities on Polish soil. Still, the UN Security Council, of which Russia is a permanent member, convened on Friday and announced a new initiative to shore up the security of Eastern European members in the wake of Russia's violations. Secretary General Mark Rutte, speaking in Brussels alongside NATO's top commander in Europe, US General Alexis Grinkowicz, unveiled Operation Eastern Sentry, a fresh mission to harden the eastern flank. Rutte said the operation, quote, will involve a range of assets from allies including Denmark, France, the United Kingdom and Germany, end quote. Grigowicz added the operation would be, quote, flexible and agile, delivering focused deterrence and defense exactly when and where needed, end quote. The mission is reportedly already underway, integrating both air and ground defenses. Whether this new operation steadies NATO's eastern frontier from further Kremlin violations or further accelerates Russian President Putin's next test of the alliance's defenses, well, that's anyone's guess. But one thing is clear. Putin's invasion of Ukraine three years ago has resulted in the one thing that Putin has always been against, the strengthening and expansion of NATO. Okay, Staying with NATO. President Trump is putting the alliance on notice, declaring he will not impose any news at US Sanctions on Russia until every member state halts the purchase of Russian oil. Over the weekend, Trump released what he dubbed a letter to all NATO nations and the world. So pretty much everybody on Truth social, blasting the 32 country bloc for undercutting its own leverage. The president wrote, quote, as you know, NATO's commitment to win has been far less than 100%. And the purchase of Russian oil by some has been shocking, end quote. Now, to be fair, at this point, the European nations have contributed more in spending and contributions to Ukraine than the US and are ramping up spending further to make up for decreased US Input. But it is also true that the US Had a very hard time weaning itself off of Russian energy. And their purchases of Russian oil refined elsewhere has helped keep Putin's war machine humming along. Trump then went further, warning that continued Kremlin oil purchases, quote, greatly weakens your negotiating position and bargaining power over Russia. His bottom line was clear that unless NATO moves in lockstep with Washington, the US Won't burn the, quote, time, energy and money to carry the sole sanctions load. The ultimatum comes after last month's meeting in Anchorage between Trump and Putin. The talks, despite the central topic of achieving a ceasefire in Ukraine, failed to slow Moscow's offensive. If anything, Russia has since escalated that offensive, launching drone and missile strikes on civilian infrastructure and hammering Keefe's government buildings. In a recent Fox News interview, Trump admitted that his patience with Putin was, quote, running out fast. It does seem he's got an endless well of patience, though, adding that Washington would have to come down, quote, very strongly on his regime. And yet the White House has decided to punt on new sanctions in favor of laying the responsibility on NATO. Turkey remains one of Russia's largest oil biters and has kept its channels to the Kremlin open because Turkey is very good at playing both sides of the equation. Hungary and Slovakia still import Russian crude and gas, warning that cutting supplies would devastate their economies. And as we've tracked here on the pdb, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, an advocate for Putin in particular, has wielded his veto power to blunt EU sanctions even as most of Europe attempted to lessen its dependence on Russian energy after 2022. And Trump isn't stopping with Moscow. His demand stretches further east. He's pressed NATO and EU allies to slap tariffs of 50 to 100% on Chinese goods, arguing that such a move would snap Beijing's, quote, grip over Moscow to help end the Kremlin's war machine. Yet here, too, European reluctance runs deep. Brussels has long resisted tariffs as a sanctions weapon, and European capitals remain wary of triggering a trade war with China, even as they share US Concerns about Beijing's backing of Putin's regime. NATO has seen the Trump administration's reluctance to put meaningful secondary sanctions on China for being, of course, the number one consumer of Russian oil. And they share the U.S. s reluctance to damage trade relations with China. And not everyone in Europe sees Trump's gambit as the way forward. According to the former Lithuanian foreign minister, he dismissed Trump's ultimatum as, quote, a way out rather than a solution. He went on to add that Trump could push Hungary, Slovakia and Turkey directly given their ties to Washington, instead of binding US Action and NATO consensus, solidifying the foot dragging from former and current European officials. Still, as we previously discussed in our coverage, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen continues to call for more sanctions, including squeezing Russia's shadow fleet and accelerating the EU's fossil fuel phaseout by 2027. But again, nothing convincing enough to pull the trigger in the short term. Meanwhile, the G7 finance ministers huddled virtually on Friday where Treasury Secretary from the US Scott Besant backed Trump's push urging a united front to sanction every state still buying Russian oil. Whether NATO will follow Trump's lead remains uncertain. But as Moscow intensifies its war effort and the alliance rolls out its Operation Western Century, the bigger question is whether the west can muster a united economic front. All right. Coming up next in today's Back of the Brief, the UN Overwhelmingly votes for a two state solution in the Middle East. More on that when we come back. Hey, Mike Baker here. I want to take just a moment of your time to talk about my favorite purveyor of steaks and beef, right? Big word there. Purveyor. I know I am Fancy. The Great Dry Tails Ranch is what I'm talking about. Now, as I'm sure you're aware, it's back to school season, which means the usual chaos around the house, the constant shuttling of kids to school and sports events and regular disagreements over what's for dinner when parents and kids are all running around in different directions. Well, the folks at Tritails Beef know the feeling. 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- [22:31]
Mike Baker
The Building the Official Podcast.
- [22:33]
Michael Cirill Creighton
Join me, Michael Cirill Creighton as we go behind the scenes with some of the amazing actors, writers and crew from Season five.
- [22:40]
Narrator/Host
The audience should never stop suspecting anything. How can you not be funny crawling.
- [22:45]
Podcast Guest/Co-host
Around on a coffin?
- [22:46]
Narrator/Host
Yeah, that's true.
- [22:47]
Michael Cirill Creighton
Catch Only Murders in the Building Official Podcast now streaming wherever you get your podcasts and watch Only Murders in the Building streaming on Hulu, Hulu and Hulu on Disney for bundle subscribers. Terms apply.
- [23:00]
Podcast Guest/Co-host
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- [23:31]
Narrator/Host
In today's Back of the Brief, the UN General assembly managed to do the improbable, but not completely the unsurprising they condemned Hamas by name for the first time while simultaneously advancing a resolution that Israel and the US says hands the terror group exactly what they want. The General assembly on Friday voted 142 to 10 with 12 abstentions to endorse a seven page declaration outlining quote, tangible, time bound and irreversible steps toward a two state solution that means nothing will happen. The document drafted at a Saudi and French hosted conference back in July, one that Washington and Jerusalem boycotted, calls for the war in Gaza to quote, end now and backs the creation of a temporary international stabilization Mission under the Security Council. Well, that should take care of it. I just, I wonder why nobody else has thought to call for the end of the war now. In one breath, the declaration denounced Hamas for its seven October terror attacks. The first time the UN has named the Iran backed proxy directly. Very brave of them. And then they censured Israel for alleged targeted strikes on civilians, siege tactics and what it described as a quote, devastating humanitarian catastrophe. Washington and Jerusalem blasted the move as political theater. US diplomat Morgan Ortegas told the chamber, quote, make no mistake, this resolution is a gift to Hamas. Far from promoting peace, the conference has already prolonged the war, emboldened Hamas and harmed all prospects of peace. Israel's UN ambassador echoed the charge, stating the only beneficiary is Hamas, where terrorists are the ones cheering. You're not advancing peace, you're advancing terror. But not all saw it that way. France's foreign minister hailed the measure as quote, historic. Oh. Claiming it locked in Hamas's international isolation and marked the UN's first demand for its, quote, surrender and disarmament. All Gulf Arab states backed the U. N. S declaration and the timing, well, not accidental. Next week world leaders will meet on the sidelines of the General assembly where Britain, France, Canada and Australia and Belgium are expected to formally recognize a Palestinian state. At which point they'll then spend an inordinate amount of time wallowing in their own self righteousness, probably over a very expensive dinner in New York City. So for Europe and the Gulf, the resolution addresses a post war political framework that may or may not accomplish anything for Jerusalem and Washington, it's proof of a UN body validating Hamas's terror tactics and actions. And for the terror group which openly praised the declaration, it's vindication. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily brief for Monday 15th September. Now if you have any questions or comments, and I hope you do, please reach out to me at pdb@the first tv.com and to listen to the show ad free, which you can do and you can do very simply. Just become a premium member of the President's Daily brief by visiting PDB premium.com and as I mentioned earlier, you'll also get access to our brand new special series, the Day the World Almost Ended. Also, I hope you had the chance to catch the latest episode of our weekend show. That of course would be the PDB Situation Report. Great guests and insights. You can catch it on our YouTube channel. If you didn't see it over the weekend, you can find that on YouTube, of course @ President's daily brief and podcast platforms everywhere. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back later today with the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.
- [27:18]
Mike Baker
Did I put the clothes in the dryer? I hope they don't think I was Sleep already.
- [27:30]
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