Dorothy Moon, Chairwoman of the Idaho Republican Party
25 years ago, our world changed forever. Radical Muslim terrorists hijacked four airplanes, crashing them into the two towers of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania. 2,977 people were killed in the worst terror attack in American history.
For the victims and their families, it was a shocking tragedy. Men and women just going about their day had their lives ended in an instant. First responders charged bravely into danger, and many never came out of those hellish places.
There are countless stories of heroism and sacrifice from that awful day.
Rick Rescorla was a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War who took a job as a security consultant at the World Trade Center following the attempted truck bombing in 1993. He drew up escape plans, conducted drills, and did everything he could to prepare employees for an emergency. He spent the morning of September 11 guiding men and women to safety, going back time and again to find more survivors. He was never seen again following the collapse of the South Tower.
Todd Beamer was a 32-year-old account manager at Oracle and was flying cross-country on the morning of September 11. Terrorists hijacked his plane, most likely planning to fly it into the Capitol or the White House in Washington, D.C. By then, passengers aboard United Flight 93 knew what had happened in New York and were determined to thwart the plan. With a cry of “Let’s roll,” Beamer and other passengers fought the terrorists, and the plane crashed into an empty field in Pennsylvania.
24-year-old Welles Crowther was working on the 104th floor of the South Tower as an equities trader. His experience as a volunteer firefighter gave him the confidence to lead survivors to safety after the plane hit, giving first aid and even carrying injured people down endless flights of stairs. He kept going back to find more people and was still inside when the tower collapsed. This week, President Trump honored Crowther with a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The perpetrators of this atrocity were acting in the name of an ideology that seeks to conquer the world at the end of a sword. Yet the actions of heroes like Rick Rescorla, Todd Beamer, and Welles Crowther are proof that love can conquer hate. This week, we remember another young man who was killed in the name of hate. Charlie Kirk spent his life boldly speaking the truth and inspiring young people to love their country, their families, and their God. He, too, must not be forgotten.
On this 25th anniversary of 9/11, let us recommit ourselves to building a nation worthy of the heroes who gave their lives for others, a country where love will never give in to hate.
September 11, 2026 (Cover Photo Credit: Karyn Simmons)
Raul Labrador (Photo Credit: Raul Labrador FB)
Dear Friends,
Twenty-five years ago today, America changed forever.
I can still remember that morning. When I arrived at work, people were gathered around the television, watching in shock and disbelief. As I joined them, the second plane struck the South Tower. In that instant, we understood that our nation was under attack and that America would never be the same.
Every American who remembers that day has a similar story. We remember where we were when we heard the news. We remember who we were with, what we were doing, and how quickly an ordinary morning turned into one of the darkest days in American history.
We watched terrified people jump. We watched firefighters and police officers run toward the buildings while everyone else was trying to get away. And then we watched the towers come down.
We watched the Pentagon burn, and we learned about the passengers and crew on Flight 93 who fought back against the terrorists and gave their lives to keep that plane from reaching its target. Those images never left us.
But neither did what came afterward. In the days and weeks following the attacks, Americans came together in a way many had never seen. Political differences seemed to fade into the background. American flags flew from homes and cars. We thanked police officers, firefighters, and members of the military. For a time, the things that divided us seemed much smaller than the things we shared. We remembered that we were Americans first, before any other label was applied.
Twenty-five years later, it is also worth remembering how much September 11 changed our country. It changed the way Americans traveled, the way we thought about security, and the relationship between citizens and government. New laws were passed and new surveillance capabilities were created as our government sought to prevent another attack. Those changes raised difficult questions about how a free society protects itself while preserving the rights and liberties that define the country.
September 11 also taught us that a free society must take threats to its people seriously while remaining faithful to the principles that make it free. The Constitution does not disappear when our country faces danger. If anything, those are the moments when our commitment to it matters most.
The threat of terrorism has not disappeared, and our responsibility to protect Americans remains. But we also have another responsibility, one of even greater importance: to remember what we are protecting. We are protecting a country where people are free to live their lives, worship as they choose, speak their minds, raise their families, and disagree with their neighbors without becoming disagreeable.
Today, we remember the nearly 3,000 Americans who were killed that day. We remember the families who lost husbands, wives, parents, children, brothers, and sisters. We remember the firefighters, police officers, emergency workers, and ordinary citizens who ran toward unthinkable danger to aid perfect strangers.
Twenty-five years is a long time. We cannot rewrite the past or bring those Americans back. But we can honor them by remembering their sacrifice, the courage of those who ran toward danger, the families who had to carry on without those they loved, and the unity that brought Americans together in the days that followed.
We will never forget.
God bless the United States of America.
Best regards,
ABOUT THE OFFICE
The Attorney General’s Office provides legal representation to the State of Idaho. The Attorney General and his deputies represent state agencies and offices, to better the lives of Idahoans.
For more information about the Office, visit our website here.
That matters because many Idahoans still do not fully understand what they are being asked to put into law.
The simplest way to say it is this: Prop 1 expands abortion in Idaho.
You will hear it described as a healthcare measure. You will hear about contraception, IVF, miscarriage care, privacy and reproductive freedom.
But contraception is already legal. IVF is already legal. Miscarriage care is already legal. Saving the life of the mother is already legal. This is already legal in Idaho. The significant legal change is more abortions.
The Ballot Language Changed
On September 4, the Idaho Supreme Court ruled that the original YES and NO statements did not adequately describe the consequences of the initiative.
The revised language now makes clear that a YES vote would create a right to abortion before fetal viability, allow abortion after viability in a defined medical emergency, create a statutory right to reproductive freedom and privacy, and provide healthcare providers with certain protections from professional discipline and civil and criminal liability.
That is considerably more informative than simply calling this a reproductive healthcare measure. And it is why voters need to look beyond the title.
This Is Personal for Me
The viability language in Prop 1 is not theoretical to me.
When I was pregnant with my 5th child, a daughter, my water broke at 20 weeks. Because of the complications and risks, I was offered an abortion. I was told the worst-case scenarios and what could happen if the pregnancy continued to me and to my daughter.
I chose to give her a fighting chance.
I was sent home and monitored weekly, then admitted back into the hospital at 24 weeks, when life saving measures would be allowed. As complications increased, my doctors scheduled a C-section at 27 weeks.
My daughter was born weighing just 1 pound, 15 ounces (see pictures above). She spent more than 100 days in the NICU and needed extensive medical support. There were days she struggled to survive, and the day she was born we truly did not know if she would make it. But we gave her every chance to fight.
In many ways, I literally watched her finish developing outside of my body. She was tiny and fragile, but to me she was perfect in every way.
The doctors and nurses gave her the support she needed while her body continued to grow and strengthen. Some days were terrifying. Some days were hopeful. But she kept fighting. And today, that little 1 pound, 15-ounce baby is 20 years old and working in the healthcare field taking care of others in need.
That experience is why I pay such close attention to language about viability and survival “without extraordinary medical measures.”
What exactly does that mean?
Would the NICU care that helped save my daughter be considered extraordinary? Would oxygen? Feeding support? The equipment and interventions that gave her tiny body time to become strong enough to survive? For me, viability is not an abstract legal term. I have lived it.
I was given the worst-case scenarios, and I chose to give my daughter a chance. Twenty years later, I am very grateful I did. Sometimes viability has a face.
Is This Really About Healthcare?
One of the biggest arguments surrounding Prop 1 is that it is necessary to protect women’s healthcare.
Certainly, serious pregnancy complications happen, and women facing those situations deserve excellent medical care. But those cases represent a very small share of abortions.
Florida is one of the states that actually reports reasons for abortion. In 2025, just 106 out of 48,149 reported abortions were categorized as being performed because of a life endangering physical condition of the mother.
That is about 0.22%, or roughly two out of every 1,000 abortions.
The point is not to minimize those difficult situations. The point is that Prop 1 is not narrowly written to deal only with medical emergencies. It creates a broad abortion right.
Parents Should Pay Attention
I also continue to have serious concerns about parental rights.
Prop 1 says “every person” has a right to reproductive freedom and privacy, that means any age. It also contains broad language overriding contrary Idaho laws and protects people who assist someone in exercising those rights.
That raises a very important question: Could this language eventually allow another adult to assist a minor in obtaining an abortion without her parents’ involvement?
That is exactly the kind of question courts could be asked to decide.
As a parent, I would want that answered before, not after, we put this language into Idaho law. When we’re talking about our daughters and parental rights, “we’ll let the courts figure it out later” is not a reassuring answer.
Other States Should Be a Warning
We have already watched reproductive rights initiatives pass in Michigan, Ohio, Arizona and Missouri. But Florida may be the example Idahoans should pay the closest attention to.
In 2024, nearly 57% of Florida voters supported an abortion-rights constitutional amendment. It still failed, but why?
Because Florida requires 60% approval to amend its constitution.
So, a majority of Florida voters actually supported the measure, and it failed only because it fell about three percentage points short of the supermajority required. Think about that.
Florida is now considered a solidly Republican state, yet nearly six out of ten voters supported that abortion amendment. Idaho does not have Florida’s 60% requirement for Prop 1. Prop 1 only needs a simple majority to become law.
We cannot simply say: “This is Idaho. We’re conservative. It won’t pass.”
That is not a strategy.
Don’t Assume the Legislature Will Fix It
I have also heard the argument that Prop 1 is only a statute, so if there are problems, the Legislature can fix them later.
Technically, yes, Prop 1 is a statute and not a constitutional amendment.
But that does not mean changing it would be simple.
Any future legislation would still have to pass the House, pass the Senate, go through the governor and potentially face litigation., and there is no guarantee what a future Legislature will do.
Voters should make their decision based on the law actually being proposed today, not on the hope that someone will repair it later.
This Is Why We Need to Talk About It
Campaign titles are designed to sound good.
“Freedom.”
“Privacy.”
“Healthcare.”
But a ballot initiative is not a slogan. It is law.
And once voters put those words into Idaho Code, courts will interpret the actual language, not the television commercials or campaign mailers.
So, between now and November 3, talk about Prop 1. Ask your family and neighbors if they have read it. Share the updated ballot language. Talk about what happened in Florida. Talk about parental rights.
And don’t assume that because Idaho is conservative, this initiative cannot pass.
Prop 1 expands abortions in Idaho. Idaho voters deserve to know that before they vote.
Baltimore, MD – The Social Security Administration (SSA) today honors the memory of those who lost their lives in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America, and recognizes the survivors, families, and first responders whose courage and resilience continue to inspire the nation.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed in New York, the Washington, D.C. area, and Pennsylvania. They were family members, friends, coworkers, and neighbors — individuals going about their daily lives, federal employees beginning their workday, and first responders who rushed toward danger. SSA joins the nation in remembering each of them on this solemn anniversary.
“On this anniversary, we remember the lives lost, the families changed forever, and the heroes whose actions inspired a nation,” said Commissioner Frank J. Bisignano. “We also reaffirm SSA’s commitment to serving the American people with the same dedication our employees demonstrated in the days and months after September 11.”
Following the attacks, SSA employees responded immediately to support families affected by the tragedy. The agency activated special emergency procedures to ensure survivor claims could be processed as quickly as possible. These measures allowed SSA to accept alternative forms of verification, including airline manifests and employer records, when death certificates were not yet available. SSA staff worked at assistance centers in New York and throughout the country, helping families understand their benefits and complete applications during an extraordinarily difficult time.
Within days, SSA launched nationwide outreach efforts to reach families of victims, provide information on available benefits, and ensure timely processing of claims. The agency coordinated with local and federal partners, employers, uniformed services, and consulates to identify survivors and verify eligibility. By December 2001, SSA had processed more than 5,000 disaster‑related claims, including survivors’ benefits, children’s benefits, lump‑sum death payments, and disability applications. These efforts reflect SSA’s mission to provide support and stability when Americans need it most.
Commissioner Bisignano also reflects on the personal impact September 11 had on his life and career. On the morning of the attacks, he was at Citigroup in lower Manhattan, where he witnessed the devastation firsthand. In the immediate aftermath, he led efforts to relocate more than 16,000 displaced employees, ensuring their safety and continuity of operations during an unprecedented crisis. In the years that followed, Bisignano served as a founding member and board leader of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, honoring the victims and supporting families and communities deeply affected by the tragedy. Nearly a decade later, he faced his own health challenges, developing throat cancer attributed to time spent at Ground Zero, which he overcame with resilience and the support of loved ones.
“September 11 changed the course of my life,” said Commissioner Bisignano. “I saw courage, loss, and extraordinary acts of humanity up close, and those experiences have shaped how I view leadership and public service. At SSA, our mission is rooted in helping people through their hardest moments. This commitment has only deepened for me because of what I experienced that day and in the years that followed.”
As commemorations take place across the country, SSA encourages all Americans to reflect on the unity, courage, and shared purpose that emerged in the wake of the attacks. The agency remains committed to supporting the American people and honoring the legacy of those lost by continuing to serve with dedication and compassion.
(Governor’s Office Press Release, September 10, 2026)
Governor Brad Little ordered U.S. flags and State of Idaho flags to be lowered to half-staff for the entire day on September 11, Patriot Day, in accordance with Public Law 107-89.
“Twenty-five years after 9/11, we honor the heroes who ran toward danger, remember the innocent lives taken, and recognize the extraordinary unity and patriotism that emerged from that terrible day. Nearly a quarter of Americans alive today were born after 9/11 and never experienced it firsthand. That makes it even more important that we pass its lessons to the next generation. We must keep alive the legacy of those we lost and those who served by teaching our children to remember, to honor, and to love our country. God bless America,” Governor Little said.
(National Park Service Press Release, September 10, 2026)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Park Service [on Wednesday] awarded a total of $4 million through the 9/11 Memorial Act Grant Program to support the operation, security and maintenance of the National September 11 Memorial in New York City and the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial in Arlington, Virginia.
Signed into law in 2019 by President Donald J. Trump, the 9/11 Memorial Act provides grants for the operation and maintenance of memorials commemorating the victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. This year, the National Park Service is awarding $2 million to the National September 11 Memorial and $2 million to the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial.
“Twenty-five years ago, our nation was tested like never before, and Americans responded with extraordinary courage, service and resolve,” said Jessica Bowron, NPS Comptroller, exercising the delegated authority of the Director. “These grants will help preserve the memory of those killed on September 11 and support the memorials that honor their lives and legacy. The NPS is proud to help ensure these places are maintained for future generations to remember those who lost their lives, the first responders who ran toward danger to save others and the service members who defended our nation in the years that followed.”
On the 25th anniversary of the attacks, the nation remembers and honors the nearly 3,000 people killed in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center, aboard the four hijacked aircraft and at the Pentagon.
Located at the World Trade Center site in New York City, the National September 11 Memorial honors the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks and the February 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The names of those who died in the attacks are inscribed on bronze panels surrounding the memorial’s twin reflecting pools. The memorial also recognizes the hundreds of thousands of first responders, recovery workers, survivors and residents who were exposed to toxins in the aftermath of the attacks through the Memorial Glade, a pathway incorporating World Trade Center steel.
The National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, honors the 184 people who lost their lives at the Pentagon and aboard American Airlines Flight 77 on September 11, 2001. The two-acre memorial features 184 memorial units, each dedicated to an individual victim.
Both memorials commemorate the victims of the September 11 attacks and demonstrate an enduring commitment to preserving their memory and honoring those who risked their lives to save others. The grants will support continued operations, maintenance and security at the memorials, helping ensure that visitors have places to learn, grieve, remember and reflect.
About the 9/11 Memorial Act Grant Program
As authorized and funded by Congress, the Secretary of the Interior may award competitive grants for the operation, security and maintenance of memorials commemorating the victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Eligible memorials are required to provide free admission to active and retired members of the military, registered first responders to the September 11 attacks and family members of victims of the attacks. Eligible memorials must also provide free admission to the general public for at least one hour each calendar week.
About the National Park Service: More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 430+ national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.
(Idaho Department of Education Press Release, September 10, 2026)
Boise–Students in Idaho will have the opportunity to remember, learn, and serve as they observe the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks through a partnership between the Idaho Department of Education, the Idaho State Historical Society, and the Idaho America250 Task Force.
This year’s anniversary falls within the nation’s Semiquincentennial celebration, building on statewide commemorations that began with the “Two Lights for Tomorrow” lantern lighting ceremony, 2025 Patriot Day, and the America250 in Idaho kickoff celebration at the State Capitol.
This year’s “September 11 at 25: Remember. Learn. Serve.” campaign builds on that momentum, giving Idaho students and families an opportunity to consider the event in the context of the broader American experience. The campaign is an invitation, not a mandate, allowing districts and charters to determine how best to mark the anniversary in ways that reflect their communities and capacity.
“For students sitting in today’s classrooms, the September 11 terrorist attacks are a part of history, not a memory of the day that they can vividly recall, as I’m sure most of us can,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield. “Instead, our students have inherited a world profoundly changed by that event, and it’s our responsibility to ensure that they have the historical knowledge to understand what that means for them, our country, and our collective futures.”
Participating classrooms are invited to use tools and resources aligned with the three objectives:
Remember: Honor those who lost their lives on September 11 and recognize survivors, families, first responders, service members, veterans, and all who carried the aftermath of that day’s events.
Learn: Encourage age-appropriate study of what happened, why it matters historically, how Americans responded, and how the events reshaped the nation and the world.
Serve: Reflect on service and civic responsibility in the American story while recognizing those who serve — first responders, military members, veterans, public servants, volunteers, neighbors, and more.
Local education agencies will receive a variety of materials to accomplish these goals. Resources from the National September 11 Memorial Museum, including the 9/11 Anniversary Digital Learning Experience and links to livestream a 35-minute film with first-person accounts of the attacks and aftermath, will be available on demand beginning on September 11.
“On that day in 2001, the world as we know it changed profoundly,” said Critchfield. “Ensuring that young Americans understand not only the events of September 11, but also the bravery, heroism, and patriotism that was demonstrated that day and in the 25 years since, is of vital importance as students reach voting age and begin to participate in civic life.”
The anniversary, however, extends beyond Idaho’s classrooms. The America250 in Idaho Task Force has registered as an official partner of 9/11 Day, the national nonprofit that organizes the September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, joining more than 800 participating organizations nationwide. The partnership creates opportunities for Idaho businesses, congregations, service clubs, civic groups, and individuals to mark the day through service in their own communities.
“History is essential because it helps us understand not only what happened, but who we are and what we owe to one another,” said Idaho State Historical Society Executive Director and America250 in Idaho Task Force Chair Janet Gallimore. “As Idaho joins the nation in commemorating 250 years of the American experience, September 11 reminds us that our nation’s history also includes moments of profound loss and extraordinary courage. In defining moments, Americans have come together through service, sacrifice, and a commitment to one another. Remembering those moments helps carry those values forward to future generations.”
Several opportunities to get involved are already planned.
Boise is one of more than 50 cities hosting a 9/11 Day Meal Pack on September 10th and 11th at JUMP as part of a national effort which will see 50,000+ volunteers pack roughly 20 million meals for families facing hunger. Idaho State University has also led planning for service activities across the state, including 9/11 Memorial Stair Climbs, in which participants ascend 110 flights alongside local first responders. The America250 in Idaho Task Force also encourages other organizations to design and register their projects through the 9/11 Day volunteer portal.
Washington, D.C.–[On Thursday], President Donald J. Trump announced that the federal government will return to the American people hundreds of millions in Obamacare overcharges, collected by the Biden Administration, by issuing refunds of $500 per person to nearly 1 million Americans in 30 states. Today’s actions directly refund the Americans most exposed to the higher costs imposed by the Biden Administration’s gross mismanagement of Obamacare.
The Biden Administration overcharged Americans through Obamacare plan exchange “user fees” that were passed on to consumers in the form of higher premiums, funding the operations of the federal Obamacare exchange far in excess of what was needed to run the exchange.
As a result, the Biden Administration accumulated a significant surplus of funds that were not used to benefit the Americans who paid these higher premiums.
President Trump is refunding these excess fees to Americans who do not receive premium assistance under the Unaffordable Care Act – and therefore paid the full cost of Biden’s premium tax – in the 30 states that use the federal exchange for the operations of their Obamacare markets.
These states include Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Thanks to President Trump’s actions, nearly 1 million Americans will receive a refund check of $500 per person. Checks will be sent to eligible Americans beginning in October 2026.
LOWERING HEALTHCARE COSTS AND GIVING MONEY TO THE PEOPLE, NOT INSURANCE COMPANIES: President Trump is delivering on promises to lower costs for American patients by putting them first and taking on big health insurance companies, drug manufacturers, and other corporate giants that have used the status quo in Washington to raise healthcare costs for Americans.
The Trump Administration is cracking down on fraud and corruption, lowering healthcare costs for Americans, and putting the American people over big health insurance companies after the Biden Administration’s mismanagement of Obamacare resulted in massive levels of fraud, higher costs for Americans, and profit windfalls for big health insurance companies.
The Trump Administration has taken the strongest actions ever to protect the integrity of the exchanges, including by issuing the Marketplace Integrity and Affordability Rule, ending loopholes used by brokers to fraudulently enroll individuals, and signing the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, which permanently instituted common-sense eligibility checks for anyone seeking a government-funded subsidy.
In February 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order to empower patients with clear, accurate, and actionable healthcare pricing information. Since then, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has ramped up enforcement against hospitals that are out of compliance with price transparency rules, finalized improvements to hospital price transparency rules, and proposed significant improvements to price transparency rules for insurance companies.
In May 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order to bring the prices Americans and taxpayers pay for prescription drugs in line with those paid by similar nations. As of August 31, 2026, the Trump Administration has reached 26 deals with pharmaceutical manufacturers, covering nearly 90% of the branded drug market.
In his historic Working Families Tax Cuts Act, President Trump expanded access to health savings accounts for up to ten million people on Obamacare and took the most significant actions to reduce healthcare fraud and abuse in history, enabling the largest ever investment in rural healthcare – $50 billion.
President Trump is calling on Congress to enact the Great Healthcare Plan to lower drug prices, lower insurance premiums, hold big insurance companies accountable, and maximize price transparency.
President Trump has been steadfast in putting the American people first over large insurance company profits by ensuring Obamacare funds, to the maximum extent possible, go to Americans: “The government is going to pay the money directly to you… the big insurance companies lose and the people of our country win.”
September 10, 2026 (Cover Image Credit: Gem State Chronicle)
A Year Without Charlie
By: Gem State Chronicle Publisher Brian Almon
Brian Almon
One year ago, a left-wing assassin murdered one of the greatest conservative leaders in American history. Since then, we’ve seen the coalition that returned President Trump to the White House in 2024 fracture and flounder, and it seems hard to know where we go from here.
I wasn’t always a fan of Charlie Kirk. In the mid-2010s, I saw him and TP USA as spokesmen for the same dying breed of Republican talking points as John McCain, Paul Ryan, and Mitt Romney. Yet something happened after 2016: Charlie adapted. He recognized that unchecked immigration, Christless conservatism, and a slavish devotion to the free market above all else threatened to erase the America we knew and loved. He adapted and became one of the strongest spokesmen for truly making America great again.
Charlie Kirk wasn’t just an influencer or a podcaster. He didn’t just talk about politics; he did politics. He turned TP USA into perhaps the strongest get-out-the-vote engine in Republican history. His tireless work helped Donald Trump win Arizona and Pennsylvania in 2024, which means that few people deserve more credit for that victory than Charlie.
Charlie Kirk visited Idaho numerous times, but I only saw him once in person, when he spoke at a We the Patriots event in the summer of 2023. I remember thinking he was taller in person than he looked on the screen. He spoke confidently and earnestly about the challenges we faced at that time, and it was obvious he truly believed in what he was doing. He was not a typical politician, but he had become more influential than most politicians could ever hope to be.
Charlie Kirk speaks with Senator Jim Risch at a “We the Patriots” event in Boise in June 2023.
On September 10, 2025, I was at my desk writing an article about municipal elections—the very sort of mundane-yet-important thing that Charlie understood was key to saving America. As always, I had Twitter open on another screen, keeping up with the day’s developments. I saw that there had been a shooting at the TP USA event in Utah. Not good, but rumors always fly in situations like this, so I’ll wait for more information. It soon became clear that not only was the victim Charlie himself, but that he was already dead.
In the year since Charlie’s death, the right-wing movement in America has fractured. Some have veered off into truly fringe territory, including those who have concocted fantastical theories about how and why Charlie Kirk was killed. Others have become fixated on increasingly abstract issues like the Epstein files or America’s relationship with Israel. The looming 2028 presidential primary has already seen its battle lines drawn, and much of the discourse on the right is a proxy war in anticipation of that fight. Charlie’s unique ability to bring people together to form a strong and victorious coalition is needed now more than ever.
On the other side, the left has become more brazen in its desire to see its political opponents destroyed by any means necessary. Even before Kirk’s death, leftists had already made a martyr out of the murderer of healthcare executive Brian Thompson. Today, online progressives and socialists are brazenly joking about Charlie’s death, mocking him, his family, and anyone who supported him. While there was a wave of firings in the days after his murder last year, many of those who were fired ended up being reinstated, and the energy on the right to establish consequences for such speech has faded.
Screenshot from the computer RPG “Morrowind”
It often feels like we entered an alternate timeline on September 10, 2025, and now everything is all wrong. But there’s no going back. We must live in the world that Charlie’s death created. We have to find a path forward. That means understanding what Charlie understood: that politics is the art of the possible, that winning elections means getting voters to the polls every which way we can, that coalitions must be built around imperfect human beings, and that the work never ends.
Charlie Kirk was the best of us, and his loss has left an incalculable hole in the fabric of our society. But we must persevere. It’s up to we the living to continue doing what we were made to do, to preserve this last best hope of mankind for our children and their children.
Brian Almon is the Editor of the Gem State Chronicle. He also serves as Chairman of the District 14 Republican Party and is a trustee of the Eagle Public Library Board. He lives with his wife and five children in Eagle.
Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the Gem State Chronicle. I encourage our readers to visit their website and consider subscribing. Find this and other informative articles at the Gem State Chronicle here: About – Gem State Chronicle
September 10, 2026 (Cover Image Credit: Idaho Freedom Foundation)
One Year without Him: Still We Fight
By: Rachel Hazelip, IFF Policy Director
Rachel Hazelip, IFF Policy Director (Photo credit: IFF)
For millions around the globe and for those who knew him, today is a painful day, the day one year ago Charlie Kirk was murdered. For those who knew him personally, the loss was profound and intimate. For those who watched him from a distance — whose lives he changed and whose faith he helped shape — the loss was heavy and devastating.
I remember gathering at his memorial with thousands of others around the nation and world and hearing stories of people whose lives were changed because of Charlie, whether they knew him personally or not. “I was a feminist Marxist and Charlie changed everything about what I believed.” “I was an atheist and Charlie showed me Jesus.” “I was going to get an abortion and Charlie’s words saved my baby.”
The stories are unending.
Charlie’s life was not about Charlie. It was about family, freedom, and Jesus Christ. His life was one of great sacrifice. It cost him dearly to do the work he did. Ultimately, it cost him his life.
Charlie spent his adult life walking into places where he knew he would receive no applause. He went into places where he was hated, where people threatened him and his family and despised what he stood for. College campuses became his battlefield because he believed ideas should be challenged with better ideas, and people who disagreed with him were not the enemy.
He debated, listened, and persuaded. Charlie believed deeply in the power of conversation because the goal was never simply to win an argument. The goal was to win people. And win people he did.
Charlie’s heart for winning a generation was what set him apart. He believed life is precious, humans are made in the image of God, truth is objective, families matter, free speech is the foundation of liberty, America is worth loving and defending, Christians are morally obligated to speak out against evil, the church must shape culture, and young people are the greatest weapon against tyranny.
His mission was bigger than simply getting more young people to vote and talk about politics on their campuses. His mission was to raise up and call out young warriors for truth and the Gospel. He understood these were the mothers and fathers, pastors, teachers, entrepreneurs, legislators, soldiers, and citizens in the making. They were the future leaders of America — and the church.
He wanted them to build families, to love their neighbors, to take responsibility for their communities, to have courage, and to know Jesus deeply and personally. Charlie believed our country could not be saved without saving our culture, and our culture could not be saved without Jesus and Christian morality.
To do this, courage is required.
In a world becoming increasingly hostile toward Christians and truth, courage is needed. Biblical beliefs about life, sex, marriage, family, authority, and human dignity are treated as dangerous and violence against such beliefs is justified.
The temptation is to become afraid. Afraid of being mocked, losing friends, being called names, being labeled as a racist or intolerant, or becoming a target for violence.
But liberty and truth are not cost-free.
Jesus’ disciples changed the world because they were courageous, not comfortable. The Founders changed the course of history by establishing the United States because they too were courageous, not comfortable.
Charlie was courageous, not comfortable. There are battles being fought in our classrooms, statehouses, colleges and universities, churches, communities, and homes, and Charlie was at the forefront raising up warriors to fight on all these fronts.
Charlie believed the battle for the heart of America was ultimately a moral one manifesting itself as a battle over what kind of people we are raising. History teaches us that as go the children, so goes the country. The majority of the most significant social, cultural, economic, and military movements in history began with youth. There is a reason Marxists and the radical left always target education.
Charlie believed Christians have the moral responsibility to shape the next generation and he believed that began in the home. Charlie wanted to raise a generation who would have the courage to challenge lies and possess the moral character to know what they believe and to stand up for it even when standing comes at a cost.
And that is perhaps the greatest way we can honor Charlie, the life he lived, the courage he showed, and the price he ultimately paid. We can be more courageous, more disciplined, more informed, more involved, and, most importantly, more devoted to knowing Jesus. We honor him by refusing to sit quietly while families are weakened, truth is attacked, faith is mocked, and a generation is taught to be ashamed of the values that built the United States.
Charlie is gone but his legacy lives on in the liberty-lovers, the culture-warriors, and the truth-seekers. Courage is contagious. One act of courage can change the course of a family, a campus, or a country. All it takes to hold the line is one person.
Let’s be the one.
Be the one who speaks when silence is safer, who refuses to compromise when pressure is all around, who stands when everyone else sits down, who steps into the arena instead of watching from the sidelines, and who has the courage to fight for truth, family, freedom, and the next generation.
Anyone who knew him or watched him closely will tell you that Charlie’s biggest fights were not fought on college campuses — they were fought before he ever got there, on his knees with lifted hands.
Charlie’s life and legacy stand in the company of giants of the faith. Men like William Wilberforce, who spent his life fighting to end slavery, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who defied Hitler and called the German church to fight for morality and truth. Wilberforce and Bonhoeffer countered culture, defied unrighteous authority, and fought fiercely for truth, liberty, and justice, all while spreading the Gospel.
So too did Charlie, and it cost him dearly. We stand on the shoulders of these men who paved a way for us.
One year later, we still mourn the loss of Charlie Kirk. But the work he began must be carried forward — so still we stand. Still we counter culture. Still we speak. Still we refuse to surrender. Still we fight.
Fight like Charlie — on our knees with lifted hands where the real battle is won.
Editor’s Note: Learn more about the work of the Idaho Freedom Foundation here: About – Idaho Freedom
