The Charlie Kirk Grift

Charlie Kirk’s former allies can’t stop fighting amongst themselves.

An analysis by Media Matters found that a debate between Candace Owens and Andrew Wilson that was moderated by Patrick Bet-David and that focused on conspiracy theories about Kirk’s murder earned at least 7.2 million views combined across those creators’ livestreams as of Monday.

Media Matters also found at least 58 other YouTube and Rumble channels that either aired or reacted live to the debate earned at least 3.9 million views.

Creators are able to make money through partnerships with platforms that grant them a cut of advertising revenue. On platforms like YouTube, viewers are able to send cash tips to creators during a livestream.

Owens’s YouTube stream received more than 4.7 million views, the most of any stream. For months, the right-wing podcaster has cashed in on pushing conspiracy theories about Kirk’s assassination. She was able to grow her platform by 80 percent between January 2025 and March 2026.

Wilson, a comparatively small-time conservative commentator, reportedly offered Owens $300,000 just to participate in the debate. By tying himself to Owens, the center of the conspiracy theory universe, Wilson is able to boost his still-growing platform.

Who won the debate? They both did. Who lost? Everyone else.

Mike Caruso, appointed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as the Palm Beach County clerk of courts, was arrested Tuesday morning for child sexual abuse charges.

The alleged victim was one of his grandchildren, a boy under 12 years old. According to a probable cause affidavit, the alleged abuse began in 2024 and went on until at least 2025. Caruso is charged with five felonies: kidnapping, lewd or lascivious molestation, lewd or lascivious exhibition, luring or enticing a child, and child abuse (mental injury).

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier issued a statement announcing the arrest, with DeSantis suspending Caruso from public office shortly thereafter. Caruso is being held without bail in the Orange County Jail pending an appearance before a judge.

“Early this morning, with substantial assistance from FDLE and local law enforcement, Palm Beach County Clerk of Court Michael Caruso was arrested on charges related to child sexual abuse,” Uthmeier said. “The investigation is ongoing, and we will provide more information to the public at the appropriate time.”

Caruso’s son became aware of the abuse in October last year when he saw his son engaging in sexual activity with his younger brother, the affidavit states. After the father stopped the activity, the boy told him that his grandfather had showered with him on a cruise and performed a sex act. The child later told investigators that Caruso had molested him days before Thanksgiving the previous year.

Upon being confronted by his son, Caruso said he had showered with all of his own children, but not the alleged victim. Caruso asked his son if he had spoken with Caruso’s former wife, whom he called “evil” and said she could have “fabricated the allegations in an effort to poison the child against him,” according to the affidavit.

Caruso was appointed to his position by DeSantis in August last year, and was running for reelection in November before his arrest. He did not have any Republican challengers, and was running uncontested in Tuesday’s primary election. It’s not clear if he’ll be on the general election ballot in three months. DeSantis’s allies and supporters have a history of using the “groomer” slur against their opponents, accusing them of pedophilia. Now, one of his own appointees is facing criminal charges.

President Trump, who has staunchly opposed mail-in voting as part of his delusions of mass voter fraud, voted by mail in Florida’s Republican primary elections Tuesday, according to The New York Times.

Trump has repeatedly claimed that mail-in voting is not secure. “Mail-in voting means mail-in cheating,” the president said in March. This is at least the third time Trump has voted by mail since he began railing against the practice.

In March, Trump voted by mail-in ballot during a special election in Palm Beach. When pressed on his decision to engage in the supposedly fraudulent act of mail-in voting, Trump claimed that it was important for him to stay in Washington D.C.—but the president had journeyed back to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach earlier that month. He’d also previously voted by mail in 2020.

Terrified of Republican losses in November’s midterm elections, Trump has spent months unsuccessfully lobbying his allies to pass the draconian SAVE Act, which promises to ban mail-in voting.

Last week, Trump mulled the possibility of declaring a national security emergency in order to place limits on mail-in ballots and impose a slate of other voting restrictions.

Earlier this year, Trump signed an executive order requiring the U.S. Postal Service to bar any person not included on a massive federal voter list from receiving a mail-in or absentee ballot. Last month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled that the Democratic lawsuit challenging the order was premature.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the recall of a nationally sold granola brand due to concerns over potential salmonella contamination.

Hampton Grocer has recalled its popular Lacnola Lactation Granola, after one of the ingredients, moringa powder, tested positive for the bacteria. It is primarily sold on Amazon, and any bag bought between October 21, 2025, and August 12, 2026—nearly one year—is at risk of being contaminated.

Salmonella poisoning can cause diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, and severe cramping. No cases have been confirmed yet.

This potential outbreak presents yet another food safety issue for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Health Department, just weeks after a parasitic cyclospora outbreak caused two deaths and national anxiety over getting explosive diarrhea from lettuce. Even if this latest outbreak is kept under control, public trust in food safety has been deeply damaged, even if RFK Jr. hasn’t made any sweeping, blockbuster changes to food regulations.

“I’d like to reiterate how difficult it is to have granola infected with salmonella. It’s even more difficult than chili peppers, and no, it’s not ‘foreign producers’ that are the problem,” Chef Joe Gera wrote on X. “It’s quality control and standards not being enforced.”

Aside from salmonella in granola, the FDA has also reported salmonella contamination in eggs and jalapeño this month.

President Donald Trump took to Truth Social Tuesday to deliver an update on negotiations with Iran—or lack thereof.

“There are no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled, with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Trump wrote. “The Naval Blockade remains in full force and effect. The Hormuz Strait is open and operating. All water mines have been removed or detonated.”

NewsNation’s Kellie Meyer pointed out that Trump had suggested the day before that his administration was still in talks with Iran. “This is what makes it difficult to convey to the American people / our viewers what’s going on here,” she wrote on X.

On Monday, Trump urged Iran to wave the “white flag of surrender,” and threatened to “bomb the shit out of” Oman if it got in the way. Later, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that Iran was “not going to make the kind of a deal that I feel is necessary.”

Earlier this month, Trump told reporters that he was in talks to reopen the Strait of Hormuz “literally by tomorrow.” Meanwhile, Iran denied speaking to the United States.

Trump’s wildly conflicting statements come after the end of the 60-day ceasefire deadline established in the memorandum of understanding that was signed in June—which Trump scrapped less than a month later. Recently, Trump’s own Cabinet members haven’t been willing to back up his claims that the U.S. has total control of the strait. Trump’s claims have been so erratic that they have spurred speculation about  a mirage for market manipulation. Or maybe he’s just losing it.