The heinous killing of Charlie Kirk shocked the nation's conscience at a moment of searing political tension, Axios' Zachary Basu writes.

• In a video taped in the Oval Office, President Trump called for Americans to unite in the memory of the 31-year-old conservative titan. Trump then vowed to crack down on the "radical left."

Kirk — the singular leader of MAGA's next generation, who is survived by his wife and two young children — was a fierce champion of the right to free expression. His voice was silenced yesterday by an assassin's bullet.

• "Today, because of this heinous act," Trump said, "Charlie's voice has become bigger and grander than ever before — and it's not even close."

An unknown gunman shot Kirk at Utah Valley University on the first stop of Turning Point USA's "The American Comeback Tour" — a cross-country campus roadshow aimed at rallying young conservatives.

• Two people of interest were detained and interviewed in connection with the shooting, which Utah Gov. Spencer Cox described as a clear "political assassination."
• They were later released, according to FBI Director Kash Patel. The hunt for the suspect continues this morning.

Kirk — whose death drew statements of condolence and horror from every living U.S. president — achieved a meteoric rise in conservative politics.

• He founded Turning Point USA as a teenager and transformed it into a powerhouse on college campuses, playing a major role in Trump's three runs for office.
• He relished the arena of debate, often taking his case directly to adversaries on hostile campuses with his "Prove Me Wrong" discussions, and in mainstream media interviews.

Between the lines: Kirk publicly antagonized liberal critics with his advocacy on abortion, gender roles, race, gun rights, immigration, and his unwavering loyalty to Trump.

• Kirk became the defining voice of MAGA's next generation — and a close friend to the president and his family, even helping to vet candidates for top administration posts.

What to watch: In some corners of the MAGA ecosystem, heartbreak over Kirk's killing turned swiftly into rage.

• Some MAGA activists called for Trump to crack down hard on the Democratic Party and prosecute funders of progressive politics, even as the suspect remained at large and their motivation unknown.
• After ordering flags to be flown at half-staff, Trump vowed to "find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence," including unspecified "organizations" that he claimed fund it.

Kirk himself wrote in the foreword to a 2022 book by Trump media adviser Alex Bruesewitz, "Winning the Social Media War": "While fighting for our freedom, we must not forget to enjoy this great gift given freely to us by God. That gift is what we call life."

• Share this story ... Read Trump's proclamation.

Charlie Kirk's assassination is the latest in a string of violent attacks that have marred American politics, including the two assassination attempts against President Trump himself last year, Zachary Basu writes.

• In June, Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman, a Democrat, and her husband were killed by an assailant impersonating a police officer who also wounded state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife.
• In May, two Israeli embassy staffers were killed while leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in D.C.
• In April, an arsonist set fire to the residence of Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania's Democratic governor, while his family was inside.

The incidents were part of a grim trend that has plagued U.S. politics for years.

• In 2022, Paul Pelosi — husband of then–House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) — was bludgeoned with a hammer inside their San Francisco home.
• In 2021, a mob of pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol and injured hundreds of police officers.
• In 2017, then-House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) was shot by a left-wing activist at a congressional baseball practice.

Friends of Charles James Kirk paid tribute on X — a platform where he was a dominant, prolific voice of the MAGA right:

• Alex Bruesewitz, a Trump media adviser who was instrumental in the 2024 campaign's podcast strategy: "I first connected with @charliekirk11 on this platform when I was 17 and he was 19, both of us with just a few thousand followers. ... Just four nights ago, we shared a meal in South Korea, reflecting on our journey."
• Steven Cheung, White House communications director: "There will never be another Charlie Kirk. He is one of one. Charlie wasn't just a force of nature in politics, he was a dear friend who would drop everything if you needed him."
• Jared Kushner: "When I was in the White House, established organizations often complained that we kept doing events with Charlie, to which I would reply 'he comes with big ideas, is easy to work with and always overdelivers.'"
• Vice President JD Vance: "A while ago, probably in 2017, I appeared on Tucker Carlson's Fox show to talk about God knows what. Afterwards a name I barely knew sent me a DM on twitter and told me I did a great job. It was Charlie Kirk, and that moment of kindness began a friendship that lasted until today."
• Andrew Kolvet, Kirk's producer and spokesman: "Charlie was a hero, a fighter, and an American legend. ... May he rest in the eternal arms of Jesus now. He ran his race well, and he will be eternally rewarded."

From the other side, Donna Shalala, a leading Democrat who was a member of President Clinton's Cabinet, wrote: "The death of Charlie Kirk is another terrible reminder that we need to respect ... those with whom we disagree. We pray for his family and friends. We all have lost a brilliant generational leader. I met him in 2016–he was respectful and thoughtful."

• Frank Luntz, longtime Republican adviser: "Let us learn from the words of Robert Kennedy who calmed a nation [after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968]: 'Let us replace the violence and the stain of bloodshed that has spread across our land, with an effort to understand with compassion and love.'"

President Trump demanded a commitment from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to strike Qatar again after the attack against Hamas leaders in Doha, two sources with knowledge of the issue tell Axios' Barak Ravid.

• Why it matters: Netanyahu didn't consult Trump or any of his top advisers until missiles were in the air. The strike infuriated the White House and alarmed leaders in the region and around the world.

The big picture: The attack was damaging not just for Israel's global standing, but potentially for the U.S.

• Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told the White House his country would now reevaluate its security partnership with Washington after this act of "betrayal," and said in an interview on CNN that leaders across the Gulf were discussing how to respond.

But Netanyahu is publicly unapologetic, even suggesting he might order another attack, regardless of Trump's demand.

🔎 Behind the scenes: Trump held two phone calls with Netanyahu on Tuesday to discuss the strike in Qatar, U.S. officials said.

• During their first call, Trump expressed his dismay regarding the attack. "It's unacceptable. I demand that you do not repeat it," Trump told Netanyahu, according to two sources with knowledge.

Trump told Netanyahu he was disappointed about his decision to conduct the strike and stressed he doesn't understand what this strike achieves long-term.

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Former aides to Joe Biden reacted with rage yesterday to an excerpt from Kamala Harris' upcoming book in which she said the ex-president was "reckless" to run again and accused Biden's team of sabotaging her during her vice presidency, Axios' Alex Thompson writes.

• Why it matters: The Biden and Harris camps publicly have claimed they were united through the four years of Biden's presidency, but now Harris is trying to distance herself from him — after not doing so during her short run for president.

The release of the excerpt from her book, "107 Days" — due out Sept. 23 — has exposed years of hurt feelings and frustrations.

• "She had basically zero substantive role in any of the administration's key work streams," said one former Biden White House official, "and instead would just dive bomb in for stilted photo ops that exposed how out of depth she was."
• Biden is "not the reason she struggled in office or tanked her 2019 [presidential] campaign," the ex-official said. "Or lost the 2024 campaign, for that matter. The independent variable there is the vice president, not Biden or his aides."

In Harris' book excerpt in The Atlantic, she writes that none of the people around Biden "grasped that if I did well, he did well":

"That given the concerns about his age, my visible success as his vice president was vital. It would serve as a testament to his judgment in choosing me and reassurance that if something happened, the country was in good hands. My success was important for him. His team didn't get it."

Harris criticizes Biden and his team's decision to run for re-election at age 81.

• "'It's Joe and Jill's decision.' We all said that, like a mantra, as if we'd all been hypnotized," Harris wrote. "Was it grace, or was it recklessness? In retrospect, I think it was recklessness."

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Not one member of the Magnificent 7 — the basket of seven Big Tech stocks that double as market darlings — is in the top 50 performing stocks in the S&P 500 year-to-date, Axios Markets author Madison Mills writes.

• Why it matters: That's bad news for investors who thought they could beat the index by going all in on the Mag 7.

Zoom in: The Mag 7 isn't a monolith. Tesla and Apple have spent the majority of the year weighing down the group.

• Nvidia, Alphabet, and Meta have all seen gains of over 25%, solid returns that don't come close to the triple-digit gains seen in the top-performing stocks of this bull market.

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The U.S. population will be smaller and grow more slowly than previously projected — a result of the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration, Axios' Emily Peck writes from new Congressional Budget Office estimates.

• Why it matters: It's an economic red flag, with the potential to drive labor shortages, higher prices and a crisis of care for the nation's elderly.

🥊 Reality check: The CBO says its projections are highly uncertain. The estimates can swing significantly with policy shifts.

• Keep reading.

No phones, just fun: A cellphone-free restaurant — Hush Harbor — opened in Washington yesterday, Axios D.C.'s Anna Spiegel writes.

• Why it matters: Hush Harbor chef Rock Harper wants guests to stop doom-scrolling and savor a digital detox.

💡 How it works: Guests "valet" their phones with a host. Each is locked in a pouch you carry with you, concert-style.

• Need access? A host unlocks it for use outside.
• Staff also go phone-free.

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