The Brief

The killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk Wednesday at a college in Utah is the latest in a series of politically motivated violent acts just in recent months.

And they have spanned the political spectrum:

–The killing of a Democratic state lawmaker and her spouse in Minnesota and the shooting of another and his spouse;

– The Democratic Pennsylvania governor's residence firebombed while he and his family slept;

– Two Israeli embassy staffers shot and killed after an event at a Jewish museum in Washington, D.C.;

– Tesla charging stations set on fire;

– Shootings at a campaign office for Democrat Kamala Harris in Arizona;

– And, of course, two assassination attempts of President Donald Trump during the 2024 campaign.

Those are only some of the incidents in just the past 14 months.

This is undoubtedly a time of tremendous political volatility. The shooter's motivation is not yet known, but Kirk, who co-founded Turning Point USA (TPUSA), an organization focused on younger voters and spreading conservative ideas, was a prominent figure in Trump world.

His death is again spurring conversation around political violence in America – and what can be done about it. It's a complicated question without simple solutions.

Anyone with a heightened profile in this political climate – politicians, judges or otherwise – are facing increasing threats.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., noted earlier this month that Capitol Police have seen the number of incidents they consider threatening and concerning behavior up significantly – about 14,000 recorded so far this year, up from 9,000 in all of 2024.

Johnson said on CNN Wednesday night following Kirk's death that many members of Congress are "nervous" and want more security.

"They're exposed, all the time, everywhere," said Johnson, who considered Kirk a friend.

Kirk's prominent role

Kirk was close to Trump and his family, particularly his son, Donald Trump Jr. Kirk had been an aide to Trump Jr. during the 2016 presidential campaign before branching out and creating a brand in his own name to complement TPUSA, which he started in 2012 at the age of 18.

He was ubiquitous on social media. On Instagram and TikTok, for example, he and his podcast had more than 8 million followers on each platform. TPUSA had a popular annual conference attended by lots of young conservatives, who viewed him as something of a folk hero.

And he was responsible for turning a lot of younger voters, especially young men, into Trump voters.

Wednesday at Utah Valley University was supposed to be the start of what Kirk was calling, "The American Comeback Tour." It was slated to take him to nearly a dozen colleges, from Utah to Virginia, Minnesota to Louisiana.

This is what Kirk did often – he went to colleges across the country, holding court, casting doubt on liberalism and challenging anyone within shouting distance of a microphone to take to it and argue with him.

His conservative friends and followers describe Kirk as a Christian, a father and the nicest person they knew – someone who engaged in the "free marketplace of ideas," as Johnson put it on CNN.

Kirk was provocative and often clips of his talks and arguments on campus or what he said on his podcast went viral, often stoking controversy.

For example, here is just a selection of some of those things Kirk said:

– "White, college indoctrinated women will ruin America if we let them."

– "I'm sorry, if I see a Black pilot, I'm going to be like, boy, I hope he's qualified."

– "We should bring back the celebration of the M.R.S. degree."

– "Maybe one of the reasons that Taylor Swift has been so annoyingly liberal over the last couple of years is that she's not yet married, and she doesn't have children. … Reject feminism. Submit to your husband, Taylor. You're not in charge."

– "It is so materially insane to think that 1 in 5 American women will be raped in their life … meaning that they're lying about being raped, that they're lying about being sexually assaulted. Like a fraternity guy and a sorority girl at age 19 hooking up, both five drinks in at 2 a.m. and all of a sudden, like, she removes consent. Yeah, like, that's a murky, middle gray area."

– Of former TV personality Joy Reid, former first lady Michelle Obama, late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson: "They're coming out, and they're saying, 'I'm only here because of affirmative action.' Yeah, we know. You do not have the brain processing power to otherwise be taken really seriously. You had to go steal a white person's slot to be taken somewhat seriously."

Some conservatives argue those statements are either, in their view, not controversial or that taking them out of context distorted his meaning. But the comments show why he was a lightning rod to liberals.

Some on social media reacted gleefully to Kirk's death, and some on the right described this as "war."

Political leaders who disagreed with Kirk, though, are emphasizing that violence is never justified or acceptable.

"We don't yet know what motivated the person who shot and killed Charlie Kirk, but this kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy," former President Barack Obama said on social media. "Michelle and I will be praying for Charlie's family tonight, especially his wife Erika and their two young children."

Former President Joe Biden similarly said, "There is no place in our country for this kind of violence. It must end now. Jill and I are praying for Charlie Kirk's family and loved ones."

Public opinion, threats and mixed messages

In this period of provocation and confrontation, a lot of Americans see threats to their ways of life.

Conservatives chafed under what they saw as a liberal lurch in the country during Obama's presidency. They saw the culture, the media — news, TV, movies – as too liberal, weak and enabling. And they feel too many talk down the good qualities of the country.

For those left of center, it's very different. They see threats to the marginalized – women, immigrants, minorities – because of leaders who they see as having given license to meanness, intolerance and conspiracy. And they see democracy itself under threat with Trump's strongman tendencies.

There's a lot of hopelessness that many people feel for different reasons about this political time, and that can lead to violence – even if it's a small few who might go that far.

Polling has shown that people have mixed feelings about polarization, civility and compromise.

A Georgetown University poll from 2023, for example, found overwhelming numbers of people said they want civility and compromise and believe respect for each other is the first step in having a government that works. More than 8 in 10 said so on each of those. More than 9 in 10 said respect was essential.

But the same respondents were also very dug in on their beliefs and not wanting to compromise them. More than 8 in 10 said they're tired of leaders compromising their values and ideals; more than 7 in 10 said those personal values are under attack.

When it comes to violence, 73% in an NPR/PBS News/Marist poll from July described political violence as a "major problem."

On acceptance of it, a University of Chicago survey from September of last year found 6% supported the use of force to restore Trump to the presidency. Another 8% supported it to prevent Trump from getting back to the White House.

Those are very small numbers — and there are margins of error to consider there, too – but the figures represent millions of people. And when there is that kind of political environment, plus a mistrust of the system and institutions, increased feelings of isolation and loneliness, all it takes is a few radicalized people in either direction to cause a violent event like the assassination Kirk.

Many leaders, like Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, are calling for calm and asking people to examine themselves.

"Our nation is broken," Cox said Wednesday. "We've had political assassinations recently in Minnesota. We had an attempted assassination on the governor of Pennsylvania, and we had an attempted assassination on a presidential candidate and former President of the United States and now current President of the United States. We just need every single person in this country to think about where we are and where we want to be, to ask ourselves, 'Is this– is this it? Is this what 250 years has wrought on us?' I pray that that's not the case. I pray that those who hated what Charlie Kirk stood for will put down their social media, and their pens, and pray for his family. And that all of us, all of us will try to find a way to stop hating our fellow Americans."

Experts say there needs to be a unified message from political leaders and influencers on social media to set examples of civility — and to stop demonizing and dehumanizing others who disagree, but often the opposite takes place.

President Trump was close to Kirk and said he was like a son to him. Trump, though, who himself has been prone to base name-calling and political retribution, struck a different tone than Cox in his address to the country Wednesday night.

"It's long past time for all Americans and the media to confront the fact that violence and murder are the tragic consequence of demonizing those with whom you disagree day after day, year after year, in the most hateful and despicable way possible," Trump said.

But in the next sentence, he took a turn.

"For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world's worst mass murderers and criminals," he said. "This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we're seeing in our country today, and it must stop right now."

Trump himself was called "Hitler" by those upset with his presidency during a night out for dinner in Washington on Tuesday. He added in Wednesday's video message: "Radical left political violence has hurt too many innocent people and taken too many lives. Tonight, I ask all Americans to commit themselves to the American values for which Charlie Kirk lived and died."

There was no mention of the other examples where Democrats were the subject of violence or a call for those who agree with him to also take the temperature down. That's important because the country is not only in a time of political polarization, but people are also getting their information often only from partisan outlets.

And they'll hear and see only what their leaders and trusted sources tell them, worrying experts that not much will change any time soon.
Copyright 2025 NPR

A pop-up book that’s seeking to break the world record for size has unfolded at the Central Library in downtown Los Angeles.

The art piece is 31 feet wide, more than 11 feet tall, and weighs in at 1,800 pounds.

Luceros y Penumbras, which roughly translates to “starlight and shadows,” is rooted in L.A. artist Daniel González’s experience visiting the library and his family in Mexico as a child.

“It's a knowledge tree that's been shaped by all these different things that I've learned at the library, about myself, about the city I grew up in, [and] about the town where my family's from,” González said.

The nonprofit Library Foundation of Los Angeles collaborated with the library to commission the piece as part of the Central Library’s centennial celebration.

The project is inspired, in part, by the library’s Toy Movable collection, an archive of more than 2,000 pop-up books.

“Normal pop-up books … they seem so simple, but something amazing pops out when you open the page,” said Todd Lerew, the foundation’s director of special projects. “That sort of childlike wonder that you feel that's persistent, even as an adult, is something that was really important to capture and dial up to 11 with this project.”

The origin of 'Luceros'

The foundation asked González in June 2025 to create a book that told the story of his personal relationship with the library. As González pondered questions including  ”What did the library do for me as a young person?" and "Why was I so attracted to it?" he thought about how knowledge was passed down in his family through the generations.

His grandmother told him stories about the stars above her farm near Teúl, Zacatecas, in Mexico. She said those that emerged at dawn — luceros — were among the most special because they signaled the start of a new day.

“ I looked at those stars … and the histories that my grandparents were sharing with me as these guiding lights,” González said. “Just like the library is a guiding light for many people.”

Daniel González's maternal grandmother, Isabel Gómez, told him stories about the creatures that lived near her farm, including owls, that could teach healing.

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Courtesy Daniel González

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González grew up blocks away from the Benjamin Franklin Library in Boyle Heights.

“ I spent summers there because it was literally the coolest place to be,” González said. “It just gave me the opportunity to explore anything that I had an interest in.”

Daniel González, as a child, after an unsuccessful attempt to make a kite after a trip to the library.  "My dad's like, 'I'm gonna take a picture of you so you can see what you look like when you get grumpy,'" he said.

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Courtesy Daniel González

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Later, he’d visit the Central Library during a middle school field trip and return on the bus to wander the stacks and ask the staff questions.

“ I'm really lucky that I met the people that nurtured that curiosity,” González said.

From sketches to ‘paper engineering’

First, González sketched the images, carved them into linoleum, printed them with ink and digitized them to add color and other details.

A few of Daniel González's tools. In the future, he plans to sell prints related to "Luceros y Penumbras."

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Mariana Dale

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LAist

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Matthew Reinhart, children’s book author, illustrator and “paper engineer,” was tasked with translating the images into three dimensions.

“ My job is really making mistakes,” Reinhart said. “Making mistakes, figuring out where they are and solving them and — of course — making them look good.”

The construction and the fabrication of the book took the work of more than 30 people over a series of months. At least a dozen people using giant poles capped with cushions turn the pages.

Luceros y Penumbras is four pages that open to create two scenes — one of the Central Library building and another of a sprawling tree with an I Spy-like collection of creatures and images throughout. The featured pages will change throughout the exhibition, which is open until mid-November.

There are at least a dozen different symbols throughout “Luceros y Penumbras."

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Mariana Dale

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LAist

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The sea turtle at the base of the tree is a reference both to the creatures that live in the San Gabriel River and to the original inhabitants of the L.A. basin. The Gabrielino-Tongva Tribe tells a story that connects the region’s earthquakes to the turtles.

“When we think of sea turtles, we think of these faraway places where they live, like tropical places,” González said. “But they exist here and they've had to adapt to a changing climate, a changing environment, and find places to call home, just as people do.”

Other images include:

• A star resting in an outstretched hand in honor of Octavia E. Butler, the science fiction writer who also spent time in the library. 
•  Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent Aztec deity and a frequent motif in East L.A.’s murals. 
• An owl, a symbol of knowledge associated with the Greek goddess Athena and the Roman goddess Minerva. 

González said the goal is for viewers to create their own narrative about what they see.

“ I just hope that people carry with them a sense of curiosity to further explore the things that I present, but also maybe something within them,” González said.

Visit the pop-up book

Central Library Centennial Festival

On display

This is a developing story. LAist staffers are monitoring the fire but are not regularly updating this page Friday evening. Expect an update Saturday. For the most up-to-date information about the fire, you can check:

• CalFire incident page
• Latest evacuation map
• L.A. County incident response page
• L.A. County Fire Department social media
• Angeles National Forest social media

Multiple evacuation orders were in place Friday for residents near a fast-growing fire in the Antelope Valley and the Angeles National Forest, near the L.A. County and San Bernardino County line.

As of Friday afternoon, the Summit Fire had burned more than 1,600 acres since it sparked earlier in the day and was moving south toward the foothills below Wrightwood. Smoke may be visible from around L.A.

The evacuation orders cover areas south of State Road 138 and north of Big Pines Highway between Largo Vista Road and the western border of Piñon Hills. Warnings are in effect for areas south of Big Pines Highway and north of Antelope Highway, including for popular ski destination Mountain High Resort.

An evacuation shelter has been opened at the Antelope Valley YMCA in Lancaster. Small pets are allowed in the evacuation shelter. Small animals can also be taken to the Los Angeles County Animal Care Center in Palmdale.

L.A. County and Angeles National Forest fire crews are working to contain the blaze. Authorities said structures are threatened, but they have yet to specify the type of structures or how many. Several aircraft are involved in the firefight.

The L.A. County Fire Department responded to the reports of the brush fire at 12:49 p.m.

The basics

• Acreage: 1,600 acres as of 5:30 p.m. Friday.
• Containment: 0%
• Structures destroyed: None reported (though authorities said structures are threatened).
• Deaths: None reported.
• Injuries: None reported.

Evacuation map and orders

Evacuation orders have been issued for the following areas:

• South of State Road 138 and north of Big Pines Highway between Largo Vista Road and the western border of Piñon Hills.

Up-to-date evacuation information for L.A. County can be found here. Check for San Bernardino County alerts here.

Evacuation warnings

Authorities say those who require additional time to evacuate and those with pets and livestock should leave immediately.

• South of Big Pines Highway.
• North of Antelope Valley Highway and south of Pearblossom Highway.

A camera looking northeast from Mount Disappointment in the San Gabriel Mountains captures smoke rising from the Summit Fire.

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Alert California

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UC San Diego

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Evacuation shelter

• Antelope Valley Family YMCA
  43001 10th St W, Lancaster, CA 93534
  (661) 723-9622
  Small pets allowed.
  Open as of 5 p.m. Friday

Animal shelter for small animals

• Los Angeles County Animal Care Center – Palmdale
  38550 Sierra Highway, Palmdale
  (661) 575-2888
  palmdale@animalcare.lacounty.gov

What we know so far

The Summit Fire was first reported early Friday afternoon near Llano in the Antelope Valley. It is burning near the L.A. County and San Bernardino County line. It grew rapidly throughout the afternoon. Weather conditions are expected to stay warm with gusty winds for the rest of the day and into the night.

The area where the Summit Fire began is sparsely populated.

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CalFire

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Listen to our Big Burn podcast

Fire resources and tips

Check out LAist's wildfire recovery guide

If you have to evacuate:

• Why fire officials don't want you to stay and defend your home
• How to get packed up
• How to leave your house
• What evacuation terms mean and how to sign up for alerts

Navigating fire conditions:

• How to drive in high winds and fire danger
• How to prep for power outages
• How to navigate poor air quality

How to help yourself and others:

• Resources for fire victims, evacuees and first responders
• If you want to help fire victims, resist the urge to volunteer
• How to help find lost pets

How to start the recovery process:

• What to do — and not do — when you get home after a wildfire
• How to make an insurance claim
• How to safely clean up wildfire ash

What to do for your kids:

• How to talk to children about wildfires and losing a home
• What parents should know about wildfire air quality

Prepare for the next disaster:

• Fire season is here. Make sure you're signed up for these alerts
• Every day is now fire season. Let's get you ready for the next wildfire
• Yes, wildfires are getting worse. The history that got us to this moment

You won't find resale items at the Pawn Shop in Hollywood. Instead you'll find TVs, menu items like pickle-brined fried chicken and caviar and a James Beard chef.

The new sports bar, which opened at the end of June, got its name from the long-running pawn shop which used to be at the location.

Chef Tony Messina, along with fellow Pawn Shop partner Diego Torres-Palma, sat down with Austin Cross, who hosts AirTalk every Friday, to explain what makes their new establishment stand out.

Chef Tony Messina (left) and business partner Diego Torres-Palma.

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Shelby Moore

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About the food

Tony Messina began his culinary journey in Boston, starting as a caterer and cook at age 14. Since then, he's received multiple James Beard award nominations, and the organization recognized him in 2019 as the best chef in the Northeast. He made his way to Los Angeles in 2021.

With the beer flowing and multiple flat-screen TVs, you could assume it to be a standard sports bar. However, Messina elevated the menu, blending his fine-dining experience with his New England roots.

"You can come to a fun night with the family or a date night even," Messina said. "Be all-encompassing with the restaurant aspect, as opposed to just being pub grub."

The best Pawn Shop experience

Messina says to have to ultimate experience in the space, you should sit at their bar or booths that have a good view of of the games on TV. If you want a more premium experience, you could reserve a private suite to watch games with friends and family.

As for food, he says to prioritize their small plates and shareables (like their New England-Polynesian Pu Pu Platter) and get a main dish if you're still hungry.

Restaurant details

Interior of Pawn Shop

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Shelby Moore

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• The building was originally home to Brothers Collateral Pawn Shop, which closed in 2019 after 40 years.
• One of its partners, Diego Torres-Palma, also helped develop Benny Boy Brewing through his real estate-investment firm, Ventana Ventures.
• Investors include Dodgers executive Andrew Friedman and Dallas Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban.

Menu items we tried

Pawn shop's Pan con Tomate

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Shelby Moore

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• Pan con Tomate (smoked tomato, boquerones, urfa, toasted bread)
• Fried chicken (pickle-brined)
• Italian sandwich (capicola, mortadella, prosciutto, salami, schiacciata bread)

What should we try next?